Identity
by Lia Jax
Summary: A desperate father hides his sparkling within a cavern on prehistoric Earth. Forward to present day where a young doctor gets caught up in an ancient battle and finds herself feeling strangely connected to a race of alien robots. RatchetxOC.
1. A Father's Promise

**Disclaimer: **Transformers is owned by Hasbro et al. Only Crystal and a few other minor original characters belong to me.

**Story synopsis:** A desperate father hides his tiny sparkling deep within a cavern on prehistoric Earth. Eons pass as he is unable to return for her. Forward to present day where a young doctor, Crystal Greene, gets caught up in an age old battle over an ancient artifact and finds herself feeling strangely connected to a race of alien robots. RatchetxCrystal in later chapters.

This story is science fiction with lots of friendly fluffiness to begin with. No slash. Rated **T** for language and violence. The rating may go up in the future if things get more violent or if the language gets a little more crude. Italics are used for flashbacks, personal thoughts, and internal communications.

I borrowed some basic ideas from the 2007 live action movie to start off the story, but not everything (i.e. Jazz is not dead). So, don't assume too much about my story based on the movie. I am a huge fan of the G1 series, so I am also going to be using a lot of ideas and characters from that continuity. The alternate modes will be more like G1 with the exception of Optimus Prime, Ratchet (But he has to be red and white!), Bumblebee, and Ironhide. Their movie modes are much more bad-ass (Lovin' the flames, Optimus). I may update some of the alternate modes as I bring in more characters, but they probably won't be far off from the G1 modes. I am also using Sam and Mikaela instead of Spike and Carly.

So, really, this fic is a blend of G1 and Movieverse that make up my own little fan-verse.

_Special thanks go to Dreamchylde and i-love-me-some-leggypoo for their help and encrouragement. I was absolutely terrified about posting this story, but they convinced me to go for it. They both have __**awesome **__TF stories so be sure to check them out! You won't be disappointed._

* * *

**Chapter 1 – A Father's Promise**

The ground trembled, sending the occasional small creature flitting off into the shadows, as a large figure hurried through the darkness. The mech's intake valves worked overtime and his fuel pump strained to keep up with his grueling pace as he made his way through an ancient forest toward the mountains beyond. His feet slipped on the frozen soil of the forest floor, and unforgiving branches scraped harshly against his dark green armor. He shifted the small bundle he held in his arms to protect it from the branches and the increasingly strong wind that had begun to howl through the tree tops. He continuously and methodically shifted his gaze from the ground in front of him to the clear, starlit skies above him, hoping that no one had been able to track him to this strange and distant planet. The mech had purposely taken an indirect route to the organic-based world, making numerous randomized trajectories in the hope that they would mask his true heading.

Once he reached the edge of the forest he slowed his pace to a trot, cautiously approaching the icy base of one of the many tall mountains that towered over the landscape. The mech paused for a moment to rest his internal systems, still scanning the area around him for any sign of danger. His intake valves sputtered with each sharp breath of frigid, sub-arctic air he drew. The wind continued to haunt the night with a low, empty howl that sent shivers through his servos. Hugging his small bundle even tighter to the warmth of his chest, he began to scan the wall of rock before him, searching for a weak point. To his relief, his scanners disclosed a large, open cavity on the other side of a thin, vertical crag. Clutching the tiny bundle in one arm he raised the other, bringing his energy blaster out of subspace. The weapon hummed to life and emitted a powerful blast to the thick granite wall. He immediately turned his back to the flying chunks of superheated rock, hunching his upper torso protectively over the precious cargo nestled in his arms. When the effects of the blast had quelled, he stepped through the cloud of dust he'd created and carefully made his way over the pile of rocks and boulders, into the shelter of the cavern.

The walls that encircled him thundered softly with the echoes of his cautiously placed footsteps. Once he had reached the farthest wall of the cave, he glanced back toward the opening. This would have to be far enough. He knelt down and shifted the small bundle, cradling it horizontally in both of his arms. Bright purple optics gazed innocently up at him, and his sparkling stirred as she cuddled close to her creator's warmth. He lifted a hand and softly stroked the top of her head. She cooed and clicked under her father's loving touch. He gathered her close to him, nuzzling her tiny neck, and squeezed his optics shut as hot lubricant began to pour down his face plates. How had it come to this? How could things have become this hopeless? He slowly pulled his head away from hers. Sad blue optics gazed at the innocent expression on the little one's face plates as she let out a soft sigh and smiled up at him. Part of him wondered if he'd ever see her again.

Before he could regret his decision, he reminded himself of the dire circumstances that had driven him to make it. His home world was torn apart. Millions had been slaughtered and many more had fled into the vast reaches of space as the Decepticons continued to beat back the Autobot resistance. His sparkmate was among the casualties. Killed in battle. His sparkling would be in constant danger if he kept her with him on Cybertron. He had contemplated leaving her with a neutral family within the confines of one of their cities, but after hearing how Megatron had completely leveled a neutral outpost due to mere rumors of it harboring Autobots, he had decided against it. The Decepticons were ruthless, killing civilians, even sparklings, without remorse if they got in the way. There was no way she would survive on Cybertron. This was the only way to ensure her safety.

He steeled himself for what he was about to do. Hugging his little femme close to him, he spoke softly to her, promising her he would come back as soon as it was safe. He kissed her tiny face and hands before lifting his own trembling hand to the base of her cranial unit and gently sliding open a small maintenance panel. Intricate components on the end of his index finger transformed back, revealing a small cable which extended and connected to her tiny cranial data port. He let a deep breath of dank cavern air cycle through his systems as he entered the code that would initiate the necessary program. Translucent green letters scrolled across the bottom of his vision.

:_medical access verified: manual stasis lock initiated_

Wide purple optics blinked up at him. The little femme was confused by the sudden strange sensation on the back of her head and she began to click rapidly and stir in his arms. He held her close and rocked her back and forth until she nestled into him and placed her tiny thumb in her mouth. Reaching out to her through their bond, he sent her as much love and reassurance as he could muster. He softly kissed her forehead and whispered, "I love you." His scanning software beeped to alert him that it had executed the command successfully, and the little femme's bright purple optics went dark. The medic doubled over and let out an anguished sob, clutching the limp, fragile body of his sparkling close to his chassis. His whole body shuddered and several moments passed before he was able to sit upright again. He blinked the tears from his optics and carefully laid his tiny femme on the cave floor, her thumb still in her mouth. The cable retracted and he pulled a small item out of subspace; a crystal of kryolite. In the likely event that he was not able to come back for her right away her energon reserves would be used up and her unmaintained body would corrode over time, ultimately extinguishing her spark. The kryolite would allow him to store her spark somewhere safe until he could return. He would then build her another body, if need be.

Nimble fingers reached down and gently slid open her tiny chest plates. Even in its state of suspended animation her little spark pulsed vibrantly in its small casing, sending brilliant purple and white flashes of light dancing across the cavern walls. The medic carefully lowered the life-sustaining crystal into her chest cavity. Her spark flowed easily into the protective confines of the crystal, making the object glow and sparkle brightly. He held the crystal up and twirled it slowly in his trembling fingers, his optics drinking in the sight of the very essence of his little femme's being. Her entire life force was now contained in the kryolite, and it would remain there, in stasis, until he returned. He placed the crystal inside a small box with thick walls and set it in the crook of her arm. He then pulled out a small data cube from one of his wrist compartments. It contained a picture of their family as well as his name. If he never made it back, at least whoever found her would know who she was. He tried not to think about that possibility as he placed the data cube next to the box in her arms and closed her chest plates. Sitting back on his heels, he cycled another deep breath through his systems.

This was it. This is how she would stay until he returned. He bent down and kissed her head one last time. "Goodbye, Angel." He stood slowly, lubricant now flowing freely from his optics. He had to leave. He had to get back to Cybertron. The longer he stayed, the harder it would be to go. With his chest heaving, he reluctantly turned and strode toward the opening he'd created in the base of the mountain. He would seal up the cavern and record its location. He had done everything he could to make sure his little femme was safe, and he would do everything in his power to return for her someday.

* * *

_Like it? Hate it? Please review! No flames, please, but constructive criticism is always welcome._

_In the next chapter, you'll get to meet Crystal as we forward to present day where the Autobots are battling for the Allspark in the heart of Mission City._


	2. Battle Fatigue

**Disclaimer: **Transformers belongs to Hasbro et al. Only Crystal and a few minor OC's belong to me.

_Refer back to the author's note at the beginning of chapter one for the details on my story, including alternate modes and characters. I used some basic ideas from the 2007 movie to get my story off the ground. I am also going to be using a lot of ideas from the G1 continuity, so don't assume too much about my story based on the movie. For example, in my story Jazz is not dead. _

_I've torn apart and re-written this chapter about three times. I've read it and reread multiple times too. I hope I got all of the small typos and grammatical errors taken care of. Those are so embarrassing. I was hesitant to post this tonight, but I wanted to finally be done with it so I can start working on chapter 3. That probably won't be up for a few days._

**Chapter 2 -Battle Fatigue  
**

The deafening roars of F22 Raptors and F117 Nighthawks occasionally drowned out the screams and constant prattle of machine gun fire as a gruesome battle raged on in downtown Mission City. The U.S. military joint special ops troops on scene were doing their best to keep the civilians out of harm's way while simultaneously battling the gigantic alien life forms that were currently tearing the city apart. A squad of ground troops had fallen back to regroup and shield their wounded behind a large pile of twisted metal and broken concrete, situating themselves between the rubble and what was left of the building it had come from. Among them was a young woman in civilian clothing, covered with blood and grime. Doctor Crystal Greene briefly looked up from bandaging the badly injured leg of one of the airmen, peered over-top of the rubble, and scanned the streets. There was no sign of Sam or Mikaela. Though she had just met the two teenagers within in the past twenty four hours, she couldn't help but feel responsible for them. After all, they were minors, and with the other military personnel busy with the ensuing battle, she wanted to make sure the pair was properly looked after. However, she had been separated from them when one of the enemy "jets" nearly annihilated them all with a well-aimed missile. If it hadn't been for Bumblebee and Ironhide quickly lifting an abandoned truck to block the attack, they would all be dead. She had fallen back with the soldiers, helping to carry one of their injured men behind the pile of debris. She had heard Captain William Lennox instruct Sam to run the cube to the assigned extraction point, but assumed that Mikaela was right behind her.

Fear gripped her stomach and she suppressed the urge to vomit. This had been one hell of a weekend. It had started out as a simple trip to a medical conference on some well-deserved leave time. On the way to her hotel from the airport she had strayed off the road when she heard an absolutely unearthly sound in the distance. She had _not_ been prepared to discover two terrified teens observing a fight between a pair of..._giant robots_. The next few hours had held the most terrifying moments of her life.

She took a deep breath to calm herself, as she carefully wound a dressing around the young soldier's thigh. The dust from the crumbled buildings around them covered her, sticking to the dried blood on her clothes and skin, and coating her lungs so that she was sent into a coughing fit if she inhaled too deeply. She noticed the noise from the heavy artillery around them beginning to die down and she bit her lip, hoping that this was a good sign. She had been hunkered down behind the pile of broken concrete for what seemed like an eternity, stabilizing wounded soldiers and waiting for the outcome of the battle that raged on only a few blocks ahead of them.

Satisfied that she had stopped the bleeding in the man's leg, she pulled a syringe out of the medical bag that lay on the ground next to her. "I'm going to give you a little something for the pain, Soldier." Despite the fear and anxiety she felt, her hands were steady and gentle as she administered the pain killer. "Try and relax. We'll get you out of here as soon as we can." The man grunted in appreciation before resting his head back on the chunk of concrete he was propped up against.

"Hey, Doc!" Captain Lennox, who had been sprinting at full speed, skidded to a stop, vaulted over a rather large pile of debris, and knelt down next to her. He gasped to catch his breath as he spoke, "One of the pilots… just radioed in…It's over!...We won! " He grinned and glanced toward the end of the street where Sam and the Autobots had disappeared with the cube, or Allspark, as the aliens called it. "That kid is one hell of a soldier."

She closed her eyes and let out a sigh of relief. The bad guys hadn't gotten the cube. This, judging from what the Autobot commander, Optimus Prime, had briefly explained to them about the Allspark, meant that Earth would survive to see another day. She smiled at the Captain who grinned back at her and let out an amused laugh.

"You enjoyin' your leave, Doc? Bet you thought you'd gotten rid of us for the weekend."

She snorted. She had only just left Qatar two days ago with the intention of attending the military medical conference hosted by Mission City Memorial Hospital. She was supposed to be giving a lecture on some of the new combat trauma procedures developed by her and her forward operations field team. Now here she was practicing those same procedures on the very men she had left behind forty-eight hours ago.

Lennox rose to his feet. "You seen that girl that was with Sam?"

She shook her head slowly. The battle was over. She'd figured the two teens and the Autobots would be heading back to them by now. And where was Bumblebee? She stood up next to the Captain and stared intently down the street. _Where are they_? As if to answer that thought, a tow-truck appeared through the thick cloud of dust that hung in the air. She raised an eyebrow. _What in the world?_ Her heart skipped a beat when the truck got close enough for her to recognize the young woman driving it and the yellow Autobot strapped onto the back.

Lennox followed Crystal's gaze and saw Mikaela driving the tow truck towards them. He glanced back over at the doctor and a look of concern washed over his features as he suddenly took note of her appearance. "You ok, Doc? Were you hit?"

She turned to face him. "I'm fine, Captain." Looking down at her bloody clothes she added, "I don't think much of this is mine." She let out a sigh to try and settle her nerves as she glanced over at the injured men lying in the 'bunker'. "We need to get medical support in here right now to evac these wounded and take care of the civilians." She took a deep breath. "And rescue teams to search for survivors."

"Already taken care of, Doc. All local fire departments and first response teams are already going to work, and the National Guard and Red Cross are on their way," Lennox replied. She nodded and squeezed his shoulder before turning and jogging over to the tow truck as Mikaela pulled it up next to their position. The girl had barely made it out of the truck before the young doctor was checking her over for injuries.

"I'm fine!" She protested, batting Crystal's hands away from the jagged gash on her forehead. "But Bumblebee…" Mikaela grabbed her arm and frantically pulled her around to the back of the truck where she had secured their recently appointed guardian.

Crystal let out a low whistle. "Oh, my goodness." His legs were a mangled mess of twisted metal and fuel lines, and something shimmery and pink was oozing out and pooling on the ground beneath him. He groaned as he attempted to give her a weak wave. She was sickened at the sight of him in so much pain. She had only just met Bumblebee, but she owed him her life. She had been understandably terrified when she first saw him in his bipedal form, but she, Sam, and Mikaela had all been forced to trust him enough to put their lives in his hands. He had saved all three of them from certain death at the hands of the evil robots - what were they called again? Decepticons? - and now here he was probably bleeding to death before her. "What the hell happened to him?"

"He was hit when he helped shield us from that missile." Mikaela narrowed her eyes when she noticed Lennox standing amid a group of soldiers next to the make-shift bunker. "That bastard wasn't going to let me save him." Her voice wavered slightly as she spoke.

Crystal didn't hear her last remark. Her full attention was on their new friend. "Bumblebee?" She looked up at him, her eyes giving away her concern. "We need to stop this pink fluid from bleeding out don't we?" He nodded weakly, looking like he was struggling to stay conscious. Could robots go unconscious? She noticed that his normally bright blue optics had dimmed. That couldn't be good. Crystal turned and scanned the street for any sign of the Autobot CMO, Ratchet. None of the other 'bots, or Sam, were to be seen. She felt that sinking feeling in her gut, but quickly suppressed it to deal with the task at hand.

"Mikaela, do you know if there are any tools in that truck?" The girl hurried over and reached in behind the driver's seat of the tow truck. She came back with two large tool boxes, which the doctor promptly grabbed from her and began rummaging through. She shook her head and looked up at Mikaela. "I have no idea if any of this will do any good, but we have to try and stop these fluid leaks long enough to keep him stable until Ratchet gets over here." It felt weird referring to these beings by their names. She had only known them for about twenty-four hours, and they were…well…giant alien robots. As she and Mikaela went to work clamping and tying off tubes and fuel lines, Crystal continued her struggle with the rising panic that threatened to cloud her concentration. _Giant. Alien. Robots._

* * *

Ratchet brought up the rear as he, Optimus (who was carrying the Witwicky boy), Jazz and Ironhide made their way down the war-torn street toward the human's fall-back position. He silently and thoroughly scanned each one of them with his internal sensors, checking for serious injuries. Jazz and Ironhide would be alright for a while. They had each sustained substantial injuries at the hands of the Decepticons that would need to be treated soon, but nothing that needed immediate attention. Miraculously, other than an elevated heart rate and adrenaline levels, and some nasty scrapes and bruises, the boy was unharmed. He'd be fine. Optimus, on the other hand, was a wreck. Only Ratchet would have been able to tell. The Autobot commander didn't make even the slightest grunt to give away the pain he was undoubtedly feeling. He had sustained severe injuries to his cranial unit and shoulder mechanisms. The armor on his back had been sliced open and energon trickled out from the wound. There were also multiple injuries to a few of his internal systems that would eventually need to be dealt with. _Slag it,_ Ratchet thought. Though he had been aiding the Autobots in the war for millennia, he still couldn't understand how those fraggin' Decepticons could inflict injury on other living beings without remorse. It sickened him.

They finally found the humans hunkered down behind the rubble of a partially collapsed building. Optimus knelt down and gently set Sam on an even portion of what used to be the street. The boy looked up at Optimus who met his gaze and softly patted Sam on the shoulder. His optics spoke volumes but all he managed to get out was, "Thank you, Sam." The boy nodded at the commander, and then abruptly turned as he heard quick footsteps coming up behind him.

A slight grin spread across Ratchet's faceplates as Mikaela flung herself into Sam's arms. Humans were not so unlike mechanoids. After a quick scan to assure himself that Mikaela was relatively uninjured, he turned his gaze to the pile of debris the humans had used for cover. The human soldiers were working quickly to get their wounded men into a line of military evac ambulances that had somehow managed to get down the street. He recognized the young woman among them as one Crystal Greene. He had briefly met her along with Sam and Mikaela just a few Earth hours ago. She was not in uniform but she called out orders to the soldiers loading up the emergency vehicles with wounded. She paused to adjust the bandage that dressed a head wound on one of the soldiers, giving instructions to the men who were carrying the stretcher. A band of white cloth bearing a red cross was tied around her upper arm. _Interesting_. _She must be a medic_. He hadn't known that. She was covered in the crimson, iron-based substance that was human blood, but his internal scanners revealed no major injuries. He was glad that she and Mikaela were unharmed. He hadn't seen what had happened to either of them after they had nearly been blown into oblivion.

He shifted his gaze just a little to the right of the large pile of fallen debris and was relieved to see Bumblebee. He was sitting on a strange looking vehicle that had been parked out of harm's way. _What is he doing?_ His fuel pump stalled when he saw Bumblebee's legs. _Primus._ He quickly made his way over to the young 'bot and knelt down in front of him, running a primary scan on his legs and a secondary scan on the rest of Bumblebee's body. "What the pit did you do to yourself this time? For Primus' sake…" Bumblebee knew better than to be offended by the CMO's gruff bedside, or in this case, tow-truck-side manner. He strongly suspected it was a cover-up for how Ratchet really felt about his comrades being injured.

"What the pit is all this?" Ratchet frowned at the multiple pieces of strange looking metal attached to Bumblebee's fuel lines. He would have to take all of them off in order to start repairs; wasting precious time as Bumblebee…he paused before removing the first make-shift clamp…didn't bleed out. His frustration soon turned to relief as he realized someone had roughly patched Bumblebee up long enough for Ratchet to get to him. All of the severed lines had been clamped closed. Pieces of cloth had been wrapped around the more severely damaged lines before a clamp was put in place to prevent the piece of hardware from doing any more harm.

"Ratchet?" He turned to see Crystal jogging up to him. As she got closer he noticed that in addition to being covered in blood, her clothes and skin were also stained with large amounts of oil and energon. She stopped beside him and looked at Bumblebee's legs. "I know it's really rough, but that's all I had to work with. Mikaela and I did the best we could to stop all the leaks." She looked up at him, looking…worried? "I hope we didn't do any more damage to him." She bit her lip.

Ratchet was dumbfounded. Two human females had managed to save the life of an Autobot soldier hundreds of times their size. The humans were proving themselves to be braver and more intelligent than any of them had expected for such a young species.

He grunted as he went to work on Bumblebee, reaching up to shut off the young mech's pain receptors before going to work on his legs. "You did fine. Probably saved his life," he responded gruffly. He paused for a brief moment to look down at her. "Thank you." She opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted.

"Hey, Doc! Doc! We need you! Sergeant Anderson quit breathin'!" A panic-stricken soldier called over to her. He stood beside a stretcher that bore a man with multiple bandaged chest wounds. She had already sprinted over and was kneeling next to the asphyxiating sergeant as the man finished yelling.

"Bee!!" Ratchet heard the boy's voice call out the nickname the humans had given to Bumblebee. He turned his head slightly to see Sam and Mikaela running towards the two of them. Bumblebee smiled broadly at Sam, looking immensely relieved.

"Hey, man." Sam grinned stupidly at his yellow friend. "You doin' ok? Will he be ok, Ratchet?"

Without looking down at him, the CMO replied, "He'll be fine. I can fix him up enough to be able to transform for now. I'll have to wait until we're back at the base and I actually have some slaggin' equipment to finish though." After peeling back a piece of mangled armor to give himself more room to work, he removed another clamp and began to replace the damaged energon line it had been attached to.

"Base?" Sam and Mikaela said in unison. They stared at him, eyebrows raised.

"I don't have time to explain right now. Go ask Optimus." In his peripheral vision he saw Mikaela frown and Sam shrug before they slowly turned and headed toward where Prime was knelt down, talking with Captain Lennox. He regretted being so short with them, but he needed to concentrate on what he was doing. Bumblebee's legs were an absolute mess. As his nimble fingers loosened another clamp, he stole a glance at Crystal. She was hunched over the young man lying on the stretcher, bandaging his throat. The soldiers standing next to her bent down to help her lift the stretcher into the ambulance, and one of them clapped her on the shoulder as she stood up. She caught a glimpse of Sam walking with Mikaela over to where Optimus, Jazz, and Ironhide were and a look of relief spread across her tired features. She reached down and grabbed a bag that bore a red cross on the front before jogging over to them. Sam stepped forward to meet her, embracing her with one arm while keeping the other wrapped tightly around Mikaela. Crystal smiled at him before gently pushing him an arm's length away to check him over.

Ratchet suddenly felt Bumblebee's optics studying him. He looked at the young 'bot who quickly averted his gaze as Ratchet shot him his best 'what are you looking at?' glare.

* * *

Crystal gently nudged herself out of Sam's grasp and began looking him over for injuries, immediately noticing blood and a long tear on the back of his shirt. She gently lifted the piece of clothing revealing a rather long gash that ran from his shoulder blade across and down to the middle of his back. Sam tried to wriggle away from her but she grabbed his upper arm, and held him firmly in place. "Sam, you're back is sliced open pretty badly."

Mikaela gasped and craned her neck to see. "Oh, no." She shot a worried look at Crystal who was still studying the wound.

"He'll live. It looks a lot worse than it actually is. It's not very deep, but I still need to clean it and put a dressing on it." She handed her bag to Mikaela who guessed it was her job to play nurse.

"You're not gonna try and stitch it or anything are you?" Sam glanced nervously at her over his shoulder.

"First of all," she replied, "I wouldn't need to _try_. You wouldn't have a choice." He shot her a concerned look and she smirked at him. "Secondly, no, I am not going to put stitches in. It's not a very clean cut. The edges are too ragged and damaged." He sighed in relief and she scoffed, "Big baby."

* * *

Crystal had barely finished cleaning and bandaging Sam and Mikaela's multiple minor injuries when Optimus finished speaking with Captain Lennox and motioned for the other Autobots to gather around him. Ratchet helped Bumblebee to stand and the two of them headed over to where their leader stood. Crystal's eyes widened as she surveyed Bumblebee's legs. They still looked pretty beat up, but they were functional. She wished she could fix human beings that quickly and efficiently. Either this was the norm for mechanoid repairs or the Autobots were very fortunate to have such a skilled medic. Her thoughts were interrupted by an odd sound and she glanced up to see Optimus talking with the other Autobots in a strange language that she guessed must be their native Cybertronian. She watched, intrigued, as the Autobots quietly talked amongst themselves before turning and looking down at the three humans. Optimus took a step forward and knelt down to get as close to eye-level with them as he could. Crystal was impressed by this respectful and humble gesture from the Autobot commander, and at that moment, she began to trust the 'bots even more.

"Sam, Mikaela, Crystal," He addressed each one of them, "we need to leave the city before more human rescue teams and military personnel arrive. I have spoken with Captain Lennox and he agrees that until I have had the chance to speak with some of your leaders, it is best for us to remain out of sight from the public. He has set up a rendezvous point for us outside the city with your country's Secretary of Defense. The three of you will accompany us."

The three humans nodded slowly and Sam quietly said, "Yea. Ok."

Optimus rose to his full height, the shadow of his impressive and intimidating figure falling over them.

"Autobots, transform and roll out!" Prime's deep, commanding voice rang out over the sound of approaching helicopters and emergency vehicles. The Autobots each took several steps away from the humans before transforming. Although it had been terrifying at first, it was the most amazing thing Crystal had ever seen. She marveled at the sight, just as she had the first time she had seen Bumblebee transform. She would never get tired of watching the incredibly smooth and precise movements of various mechanical components locking into place as the 'bots took on their vehicle forms.

Bumblebee's doors swung open and Mikaela and Sam hurried over and climbed inside. The yellow 'bot honked his horn urgently, jolting the doctor out of her stupor. Crystal started to jog over to them but stopped, surprised, as Ratchet pulled up next to her. As she turned to face him, she let out an involuntary gasp. She _had_ seen his alternate form before when she had first met the Autobots, but she had been a little preoccupied with being absolutely terrified, so she hadn't taken much notice. He was impressive. A powerfully built Hummer H2, modified into a search and rescue vehicle, complete with emergency lights and mounted spot lights. His paint was a brilliant and glossy white. The words "Search and Rescue" were emblazoned in reflective red on his side along with the red cross and red EKG stripe that were characteristic of the human emergency medical vehicles. His driver side door swung open. She nervously glanced back over at Bumblebee who must have said something to Sam sitting in his front seat, because he shrugged and gave her a thumbs-up. She then glanced behind her to where Lennox was standing. She wasn't sure about leaving her guys, but the Captain nodded and waved her on. Ratchet revved his engine, startling her, and she quickly climbed inside.

"If you don't mind, Crystal, I would rather you ride with me. I don't want Bumblebee's body to be under too much stress. His legs and stability servos are not completely repaired yet. I'm not even sure it's such a good idea for Sam and Mikaela to be riding with him."

She nodded and buckled her seatbelt, feeling it tighten protectively around her as he accelerated to the middle of the Autobot convoy between Bumblebee and Jazz.

* * *

Crystal tried in vain to relax as she rode in the front of the rescue vehicle that was the Autobot medic, Ratchet. She would much rather be sitting inside Bumblebee's familiar interior with Sam and Mikaela. Ratchet hadn't said a word to her since they left the site of the battle fifteen minutes ago. She shifted uncomfortably, feeling extremely odd about sitting in the driver's seat while not actually driving. She distracted herself by gazing out the window and watching the sky-scrapers and high-rise buildings be replaced by houses and small apartment complexes as they entered the suburbs. She sighed and absentmindedly leaned against the side window, the cool glass feeling good against her throbbing head. She hadn't even realized her head hurt until now. With the adrenaline levels in her body now decreasing drastically, she was becoming more and more aware of her exhausted state. Her head was pounding, every muscle in her body was weak and extremely sore, and she felt like she could sleep for days. Her eyes slowly closed.

She was startled by the sound of Ratchet's voice, "Are you alright, Crystal?" The gruffness in his voice was gone, replaced by a more gentle tone. He was probably just as exhausted as she was. She suddenly realized she was resting her head on his window and quickly sat up straight, feeling like she had somehow invaded his personal space.

"I'm ok, Ratchet. Just a little sore." She reached down into her bag and pulled out a bottle of extra-strength pain killers. She poured two of them into her hand and promptly swallowed them before snapping the lid back on and placing the bottle back in her bag.

"I want to thank you again for keeping Bumblebee stable for me. I don't know if I would have gotten there in time to save him."

She smiled tiredly. "I'm just glad it worked. I wasn't sure."

"It worked just fine." He paused for a moment. "I saw you attending to the wounded soldiers. I wasn't aware that you're a medic."

She had been slightly afraid of Ratchet up until now. He had seemed rough and impatient, and she had felt like if she was unfortunate enough to get in his way he might squish her. But now his voice was comforting and she felt herself becoming more at ease with him each time he spoke.

He added, "You were very calm considering the circumstances."

She pondered his statement for a moment. How _had_ she remained so calm?"I'm a field surgeon in the United States Air Force," she replied. "I've had extensive training and experience in performing medical procedures in a combat zone." Truth be told, no amount of training could ever have prepared her for what had gone on in the past day or so. She had no idea how she had kept her cool through it all, and she _really_ had no idea how she was staying so calm now. Maybe it was the exhaustion. "But this was definitely a new experience for me," she added quietly.

Ratchet was silent for a moment before saying, "Don't be afraid to lie down and sleep, Crystal. You are exhausted. ETA to our rendezvous point is four-point-six hours."

The idea of sleeping _inside_ a living being was just too weird. She had felt strange enough just resting her head against his window pane. But her exhaustion won over her feelings of unease. She unbuckled her seat belt and reached into her bag. She pulled out a small emergency blanket and unrolled it onto the seat. No sense in getting blood, dirt, and who knows what else all over Ratchet's smooth leather interior. She lay down, stretching across his front seat. She was asleep within seconds.

* * *

Ratchet noticed the awestruck look on each of the human's faces as he and the other Autobots transformed. It was amazing that such a basic function for the Autobots was an incredible phenomenon in the eyes of the humans.

Sam and Mikaela were already climbing into Bumblebee's front seats. Crystal hadn't moved. She was still staring at the spot where they had all transformed. Bumblebee honked his horn, causing the young woman to jump a little. She started to trot over to him. Ratchet wasn't sure it was such a good idea for the injured mech to be carrying three humans. The extra weight would put a lot of stress on his servos. He accelerated and quickly pulled up next to Crystal. She turned to face him and let out a soft gasp. Had he startled her? Did she not recognize him? She continued to stare at him, her eyes sweeping over his vehicle form. He swung his door open and she cast a nervous glance toward Bumblebee, who must have said something to Sam because the boy shrugged and stuck his thumb up at her. Ratchet revved his engine impatiently. He wasn't sure what the significance of the boy's hand signal was but it must have been an affirmative gesture because after a quick glance back at Captain Lennox, she quickly climbed up into his front seat.

"If you don't mind, Crystal, I would rather you ride with me. I don't want Bumblebee's body to be under too much stress. His legs and stability servos are not completely repaired yet. I'm not even sure it's such a good idea for Sam and Mikaela to be riding with him."

The girl nodded and fastened her seatbelt and Ratchet tightened it around her as he accelerated to the middle of the convoy between Bumblebee and Jazz. He opened up a private communications channel to Bumblebee.

_Ratchet to Bumblebee._

_Go ahead, Doc._

_You be careful with those humans._

_Yes, Sir._

_I mean it. The slightest twinge of pain and I want you to pull over and transfer them to Jazz or Ironhide, you hear me?_

_Loud and clear, Ratchet._

Ratchet grumbled something inaudible before closing the channel with Bumblebee and transferring it to Optimus.

_Ratchet to Optimus._

_Go ahead, Ratchet._

_How are you feelin', Prime? You've got some pretty serious injuries. I'm going to need to take a look at 'em._

_I'll be fine for now, Ratchet. I can't stop. We _must_ meet with the human military official._

Ratchet sighed. _I know. Take it easy until I can examine you. Take your time accelerating and transforming. I'm going to keep an eye on your energon levels and internal systems_.

_Thank you, Ratchet. Prime out._

Ratchet contacted Jazz and Ironhide individually, making sure each of them was feeling relatively stable despite their injuries. He then returned his attention to the young woman sitting in his front seat. She had fidgeted nervously for several minutes before calming down slightly. She was now resting her head against his driver's side window. She had been through a lot in the past twenty-four hours. She had found out that a race of giant robots had landed on Earth to fight an epic battle over an ancient artifact that had the power to create or destroy entire worlds. She had been thrown into the middle of said battle, and had apparently saved the lives of at least a dozen soldiers. She and Mikaela had even managed to save Bumblebee's life with no knowledge of mech physiology. And through it all, she had remained level-headed. His spark ached at the thought of what she and the other humans they'd met had gone through to help them, their world's existence hanging in the balance all the while.

"Are you alright, Crystal?"

She bolted upright, and he cringed. He hadn't meant to frighten her.

"I'm ok, Ratchet. Just a little sore." She pulled a small, white bottle out of her bag and shook out two tiny caplets. She swallowed them, and then put the bottle back. He noticed that her hands were covered in small scratches that she had probably sustained from working around the twisted metal on Bumblebee's legs.

"I want to thank you again for keeping Bumblebee stable for me. I don't know if I would have gotten there in time to save him."

"I'm just glad it worked. I wasn't sure." A slight smile was evident in her tired voice.

"It worked just fine." He paused a moment, noticing that his voice was having a calming effect on the young woman. Her heart rate had slowed and her breathing had become more regular. Maybe if he kept talking to her she would become relaxed enough to rest for a while.

"I saw you attending to the wounded soldiers. I wasn't aware that you're a medic." He added, "You were very calm, considering the circumstances."

"I'm a field surgeon in the United States Air Force," she replied after a slight pause. Her voice had taken on a flat, technical tone. "I've had extensive training and experience in performing medical procedures in a combat zone."

Ratchet suddenly felt a connection with this human. He knew all too well the pain and anxiety of being a front line medic. Every time the Autobots rolled out there was a good chance some of them would come back to him severely injured or, worse, not come back at all. It was not an easy job by a long shot. The flatness of her reply suggested to him that she was not completely convinced by her own explanation, and he was willing to bet that she internalized a great deal of the pain and fear she felt. He heard her add quietly, "But this was definitely a new experience for me." She was barely keeping her eyes open now.

"Don't be afraid to lie down and sleep, Crystal. You are exhausted. ETA to our rendezvous point is four-point-six hours."

She was still for a moment before unfastening her seatbelt and pulling a small blanket out of her bag. She unrolled it onto his front seat. She then eased herself down, stretched out, and was asleep within ten-point-two Earth seconds.

* * *

An hour and a half into their journey, the Autobot convoy was heading northeast on a highway that wound through the countryside. The terrain had become increasingly mountainous, forcing them to slow their speed slightly. Aside from Ratchet periodically checking in on each of them, the 'bots remained silent. They were all in desperate need of recharge and energon, and a thick sense of apprehension hung in the air between them. The grueling battle over the Allspark, combined with the uncertainty of their future and that of Cybertron, made for a tense atmosphere. The exception to this was, of course, Bumblebee, who was apparently busy amusing the humans sitting in his interior.

_Bumblebee to Ratchet. _The young scout's voice came over Ratchet's com-link.

_You ok, Kid?_

_I'm fine, Ratchet, but uh…_Bumblebee chuckled…_Sam wants to now what you did with Crystal. _

Ratchet noticed Sam and Mikaela turned around in Bumblebee's front seats, looking back at him with amused expressions and obviously wondering why Crystal was not visible through his windshield. Mikaela, who was resting her chin on Bumblebee's headrest, was giggling. He had no idea what was so funny. Undoubtedly, Bumblebee was instigating whatever joke was being made at Ratchet's expense. He let out an irritated sigh.

_She's sleeping. Sam and Mikaela would do well to get some rest too. Why don't you keep quiet and let them sleep. _

_Heh. Those doctor's orders?_

_Do I really need to answer that?_

_No, Sir. Bumblebee out._

Ratchet saw Sam sigh and turn to face forward again. Mikaela grinned and rolled her eyes before also turning around in her seat. Sam wrapped an arm around her and she leaned against him.

Crystal had been sleeping like a sparkling. She had not even so much as stirred when she had nearly been thrown from the seat as a result of Ratchet being unable to avoid a rather deep pothole. It was a strange sensation carrying the sleeping human. Her presence was soothing somehow. Maybe it was her rhythmic breathing, or the steady pace of her heart beating softly within her. Ratchet wasn't sure. He was much too tired to think about it. He would let her sleep until they were about three breems out from their destination, enjoying her quiet company in the meantime.

* * *

_Like it? Hate it? Please review! No flames, please, but constructive criticism is always appreciated.  
_

_Thanks to everyone who reviewed chapter 1! I was so surprised that people actually read it the first day it was up...and liked it. Haha But, seriously, I really appreciate it, guys. I hope I can continue to write well and not disappoint anyone._

_ MISAO-CG: Thanks for the cookie! It was** delicious**. XD_

_In the next chapter, the three humans join the Autobots in their secret meeting with the Secretary of Defense and Crystal learns of her new assignment. _

* * *


	3. Reassignment

_**Author's Note:**There is still a lot of set-up going on this chapter. So bear with me. :-) _

_Hopefully, everyone read my notes at the beginning of the first chapter, but just in case: I am using ideas from both the 2007 movie and the G1 cartoon. So don't get too hung up on the movie details when you read this. Jazz is not dead, and his alternate mode is the same as in the G1 cartoon. I like it a lot better than the Solstice. Ratchet is red and white, just like in G1, but his alternate mode is the movie's Hummer 2 instead of the cartoon's "soccer mom" van._

_Disclaimer: I don't own any characters but Crystal and a few minor OCs. _

**Chapter 3 – Reassignment**

"Crystal. Crystal, wake up. We're almost there."

She awoke to the sound of a gravelly, but soothing, male voice calling her name. Who was that? She slowly and painfully opened her eyes. She was laying on a smooth, black leather surface…inside a vehicle of some kind. She groaned and propped herself up on one elbow to look out the passenger side window. She didn't recognize the passing landscape. She turned her head toward the driver's seat and panicked when she saw that only her feet rested there. She shot upright and made the mistake of drawing in too sharp of a breath. She coughed harshly several times, gasping between each one, as her body tried in vain to dislodge the dusty coating that was still inside her lungs. She looked around wildly before spotting the two people sitting in the yellow car ahead of her. Sam had turned his head and was now waving at her. She furrowed her brow and managed a weak wave back at him.

"Crystal, are you alright?"

Ratchet. Now she remembered. "Yea." Her voice was hoarse and her mouth was dry. She ran a hand through her dirty hair only to have it get caught halfway down in a mess of dried blood and whatever else she had gotten all over her. She carefully untangled her fingers and willed her mind to wake up with the rest of her body. Everything was slowly coming back to her…the weekend leave, the alien robots, the battle over the Allspark. She suddenly realized she had never asked what exactly took place in the final moments of the battle. She had been fully concerned with getting the wounded men out alive and taking care of Sam and Mikaela's injuries. Will had told her that the Decepticon leader had been killed and his followers had either fled or been destroyed, but that was the extent of her knowledge.

"Ratchet?"

"Hmm?"

"What happened back there? With the Allspark and..." she paused as her groggy mind worked to recall the name, "…Megatron?"

"No one told you?"

"No." She yawned. "Actually, I didn't even ask. I was a little preoccupied."

"I understand." He paused. "Megatron was very close to getting the Allspark away from Sam. Optimus wanted him to destroy the cube by shoving it into Prime's own chest cavity, but Sam decided to force it into Megatron's instead. The immense energy contained within the cube was ignited by Megatron's spark, killing him almost instantly."

"What's a spark?" She asked slowly.

"In short, it's the vital mechanism in our bodies that powers all of our systems and contains our entire life force."

"So, if Sam had done as Optimus had asked...Optimus would be dead?"

"Yes."

Crystal couldn't believe it. A human had been the one to end the battle. Sam's ingenuity and courage had saved them all, including the Autobot commander. He _was_ one hell of a soldier, even if not a member of the military.

"So, with the Allspark gone…what will happen to Cybertron?" She remembered Optimus explaining to them that the object was critical for restoring life on their home world.

Ratchet let out a low rumble of a sigh. "The rebuilding process will take much longer. Prime was able to recover a fragment of the cube from Megatron's chest, but it only contains a small fraction of the Allspark's power. Most of the rebuilding will have to be done manually now. That is, if we ever take back control of the planet." His voice had grown heavy, and she regretted asking him about Cybertron.

They drove on in silence for several minutes before Ratchet announced their arrival at the rendezvous point. The convoy slowed behind Optimus, turning to follow him onto a narrow dirt road that led into the woods. They stayed on the road for about a mile until they reached a clearing that overlooked the vast valley below. Two green military jeeps were already parked off to one side and the Autobots formed a semi-circle facing them. Crystal opened Ratchet's driver side door and eased her tired body down to the ground. She closed his door and stretched her tired limbs. The air in the clearing was cool and refreshing and she was glad to finally be able to take a couple of deep breaths with only a minimum amount of coughing. The trees that encircled them were filled with the happy chirps and warbles of birds oblivious to the destruction that had nearly befallen the planet. She slid her hands into her pockets and walked over to where Sam and Mikaela were exiting Bumblebee. Sam stretched and Mikaela rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"You guys doin' ok?"

"Of course." Sam grinned, and the three of them turned as the now familiar sound of a transforming Autobot filled the clearing. Optimus had transformed and was kneeling in front of the jeeps, the doors of which were now opening. Crystal's jaw dropped and she frowned as she recognized one of the men exiting the military vehicles. General Clifton Schaefer had been her father's closest friend. When her father passed away, he had become her guardian. He helped put her through college and med-school, and had been the one who encouraged her to join the military. She hadn't seen him for a few months. Why was he here? She shook her head and began to walk over to him.

His eyes were fixed on the Autobot commander, and his hand clutched the top of the jeep door for support. Crystal approached him and softly placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head, and the blank stare he wore on his deeply lined face slowly turned into a weary smile at the site of the doctor. "Giant alien robots." He shook his head. "It's a good thing they briefed me on this before I came up here." He let go of the jeep and embraced her, patting her firmly on the back with one hand. "You're a mess, Crys. You ok?"

"I'm fine." Letting a slight frown come across her features, she added, "What are you doing here?"

He didn't answer her. Instead, he took a deep breath, slung an arm around her shoulders, and led her to where the other four men he had come with were gathered in front of Optimus Prime. They were doing a terrible job of hiding their fear of the massive mech, with the exception of Defense Secretary John Keller who had already "met" the aliens. He was talking with Optimus, introducing the trusted (and terrified) officers he had brought with him. He turned to face Crystal and the General as they approached.

"Secretary Keller, this is Captain Crystal Greene," Schaefer introduced her and she firmly shook the SecDef's hand.

"Ah, yes. We were never properly introduced. The General has told me much about you, Doctor Greene. It's a pleasure to meet you." He exchanged a brief glance with Schaefer that Crystal couldn't interpret before turning and motioning for Sam and Mikaela to join them. The pair hesitated for a moment before walking over and standing next to the doctor. Keller then addressed all of the humans present. "Optimus Prime has expressed the Autobots' desire to remain on our planet." He looked up at Optimus who shuttered his optics as he slowly nodded once.

"We believe Earth may still be in grave danger." Prime's voice was a low rumble as he spoke to the humans. "Even with both the Allspark and Megatron destroyed, the remaining Decepticons pose a serious threat. Earth's resources will prove to be a tempting source of energy for our dying home world. I have no doubts that the Decepticons will return with more troops to take Earth's energy by force." The birds had ceased their chirping, and an eerie silence now filled the clearing.

Keller visibly tensed. Each of the humans held their breath as they stared expectantly at the Secretary. His sharp eyes remained focused on Prime's own optics, almost as if he were having a silent conversation with the large red and blue mech. He drew in a short breath before nodding curtly. "Earth is forever in your debt, Mr. Prime. If the Autobots are willing to stay and protect our planet, then you are welcome to call our country your home."

"Thank you, Mr. Keller."

"I assume your, uh, _base_ will be well hidden?" Keller continued to stare intently at the Autobot commander.

"Of course. You will be informed of its location."

Keller nodded before again facing the group of humans in front of him. "These aliens _do_. _not_. _exist_. Am I understood?" The military officials all nodded, followed by a shaky chorus of 'Yes, Sir's.

He focused his intense gaze on Sam and Mikaela. A nervous expression began to spread across Sam's face and he glanced back at Bumblebee. "No. No, wait. You can't expect us to just forget this ever happened. You see that yellow Camero over there?" He pointed at the young 'bot. "That's my buddy. My guardian. He saved my life. I'm not ok with pretending he doesn't exist." He stood a little straighter, and so did Mikaela. Crystal grinned at the kid's boldness.

Keller just stared at him, incredulous. "You mean to tell me…you're _friends_ with these aliens now?" He raised an eyebrow.

Sam nodded and began to say something else, but Keller shook his head and held up his hands, silencing the young man. "Let me finish what I was saying." He looked pointedly at each human present. "I expect every one of you to keep quiet about all of this." The SecDef waited for them to nod in acknowledgement before continuing. "A special division of the military will be formed to aid the Autobots and respond to any enemy alien attacks." He looked up at Optimus. "I will want them to occasionally train with the Autobots, of course. Will that be a problem?"

Optimus was silent for a moment. Crystal wondered if he was talking it over with his Autobots via their internal com-links. After several seconds he spoke. "No, Mr. Keller. If that is a condition of us staying on this planet, we will meet it."

Keller nodded and turned his attention back to the other humans. "These special forces will also be non-existent." His gaze fell on Crystal. "This is where you come in, Doctor Greene."

Crystal was startled, "I'm not sure I follow you, Sir."

"Battling with giant robots will no doubt cause injuries that will be very difficult to explain at a hospital, not to mention hard to treat." He seemed slightly annoyed by her confusion. "You will be the chief medical officer of our non-existent special forces. Though where we'll set up shop I have no idea…" His voice trailed as he lifted a hand to massage his temples.

Crystal stared at him for several seconds. "Sir…I…"

She was interrupted by Optimus. "Mr. Keller, we have adequate space to house a small human medical facility. My CMO can aid Doctor Greene in treating your soldiers."

Keller was silent. He shared another brief look with Schaefer before he shifted his gaze to the ground, deep in thought. After a moment he nodded to himself, clearly pleased with the outcome of whatever silent debate had taken place in his head. "Very good, Mr. Prime. Thank you."

Crystal spoke up, "Mr. Secretary, I'm due back at my unit in seventy-two hours, otherwise I'm AWOL."

She flinched as his piercing gaze met hers. "As of right now your orders have changed, Doctor Greene. Your CO will be notified." Crystal nodded. Though her military training allowed her to keep her face expressionless, her stomach was performing a nauseating feat of acrobatics that made her head spin. How could she possibly live with the aliens? How could she live and work in close quarters with beings that could squish her into nonexistence without even noticing?

Schaefer glanced at the young doctor and immediately recognized her blank expression as a sign of much stronger feelings brewing beneath her passive exterior. He tightened his arm around her shoulders. Sam and Mikaela moved closer to her and Keller now spoke to the two of them.

"You two seem to be fond of the idea of remaining in contact with your new friends. I can't believe I'm saying this..." He shook his head as he took a deep breath. "I'll allow it. But _do not_, under any circumstances, compromise the secrecy of this highly classified situation." He lowered his voice. "Do I make myself clear?"

The teens nodded and Mikaela spoke up. "We're not going to do anything that could put them in danger."

"Very good." He paused and surveyed everyone present, Autobot and human alike, before again speaking to Optimus. "We'll be going now, Mr. Prime. I will be in contact with you after I have briefed the President on what we have discussed at this meeting."

"Very well, Mr. Keller. Thank you."

Keller turned on his heel and motioned for his men to follow him back to the jeeps. General Schaefer turned to face Crystal. She eyed him suspiciously.

"Why do I feel like you had something to do with this?" Why he would suggest to Keller that she be stationed with the aliens, she had no clue, but she couldn't shake the feeling that that's just what had happened. He simply smiled and shook his head.

"What would give you an idea like that? It makes perfect sense for him to select you for the job. You're a highly qualified military surgeon and you're already familiar with the aliens. I had nothing to do with his decision." He smiled. "Take care of yourself, Sweetheart."

"Yes, Sir."

"I'll check in on you soon." He tapped a finger on the tip of her nose, and then turned and walked toward the jeeps. She frowned and crossed her arms. _Nothing to do with it, my ass. _He was a terrible liar.

The men climbed into their vehicles and pulled out of the clearing, kicking up loose gravel and leaving large clouds of dust in their wake. Sam put one arm around Mikaela's waist and the three humans slowly turned and made their way over to Bumblebee, where they then stood talking in hushed voices.

Optimus rose to his feet and turned to look at the horizon. He stepped closer to the edge of the outcrop that overlooked the sprawling countryside. The sun had begun to set, casting vibrant purple and orange hues over the valley below. The intense color display lit up his armor, causing him to take on a Herculean glow. He activated his long range communications system and sent up a beacon.

"What's he doing?" Mikaela whispered.

Bumblebee answered her quietly, "He's calling the other Autobots."

* * *

Crystal found herself, once again, sitting inside the interior of an Autobot soldier as he sped down an increasingly flat and deserted highway. Only this time she was actually awake and not covered in dried blood and filth. And this time she was riding with Jazz. Optimus had ordered Ironhide to take Sam and Mikaela home until the base was ready to house humans. Bumblebee was to return to the base so Ratchet could mend his legs properly. Sam had asked, for the hundredth time, what the hell they meant when they said they already had a base. Optimus told him that Ironhide would explain it to him on their way home and Crystal had been amused by the inadvertent run-around the 'bots had been giving him on that subject.

She had wanted to return to Mission City to attempt to retrieve her belongings from the hotel. However, Optimus didn't think it was a good idea and Ratchet had insisted that the sooner they got to work on the human portion of "his medbay" the better. _She_ had then insisted that if she didn't get a shower and some clean clothes first, she would not make a particularly cheerful coworker. Jazz had been assigned to take her into a small town that was on their way so she could get cleaned up. It was very late by the time they passed the sign for Little Creek, Arizona and she had been relieved to find a twenty-four hour discount store in the small town. The employees had curiously eyed the grungy young woman as she walked through the store, but surprisingly no one said a word to her about her appearance. It made her wonder just what kind of a town this was. After buying enough clothes, food, and other basic necessities to last her a few days, she had showered at a truck stop. _That_ had certainly been an adventure and a half.

"You're bein' awful quiet, Crystal." The black and white Porsche spoke for the first time since they left the truck stop.

She was gazing out his window, taking in the beauty of the countless stars in the clear night sky and trying to ignore the fear that currently had a death grip on her insides. "Sorry, Jazz. I'm just…thinking about everything."

"Wanna listen to some music? Might help ya relax." He turned on his radio and she chuckled when he found a hip-hop station playing "Sexy Back". Apparently Jazz was already a fan of Earth's pop culture.

"Actually, I'd really like to know where we're going."

"Ah. Of course ya do. Sorry." He turned the volume on his radio down. "It's called the Ark."

"What is?"

"The base we've all been talkin' about. Actually, it's really our space cruiser."

She raised an eyebrow. "Space cruiser?"

"Mmhm. The five of us came to Earth in our protoforms 'cause it was faster. The crew we left aboard the Ark just arrived a few hours ago. They've been workin' on landin' in a remote location. Don't wanna be too close to any of your towns or cities."

"Wow." She hadn't been expecting that. She thought maybe they had scouted out an abandoned warehouse or something, but a spaceship? "How many more of you are there?"

"Aboard the Ark? Seven more. We don't know how many of us are actually scattered throughout the universe. A lot of 'bots went into hidin'."

"Oh." She really shouldn't have been surprised after everything she'd seen in the past two days. "How far away is the Ark?"

"We'll be there in about an hour."

She sighed. It wasn't enough time to sleep. She had hoped to get another nap in on the way to the base, but sleeping for an hour now would only make her more tired when they arrived. She could at least use this time to talk to Jazz. She'd be living with the Autobots now, might as well get to know them.

"I hope Ratchet isn't going to want me to jump right into setting up an entire medical facility tonight. I need to get some sleep. I'm running on about three hours."

Jazz chuckled. "I'm runnin' on about thirty minutes."

"Oh." She bit her lip. "Sorry." She hadn't thought about it before, but apparently robots needed rest too.

"Heh. It's ok, Crystal. I'm sure we'll all be able to rest up a little when we get there. Even the Hatchet has to recharge sometime."

She grinned. "The Hatchet?"

"That's our little nickname for our beloved CMO."

Crystal giggled softly. "How did he earn that title?"

Now Jazz laughed. "Ya mean to tell me ya don't know? After ridin' with him for four an' a half hours today?"

"Well, I _was_ a little intimidated by him at first…but he seems harmless."

He laughed even harder. "Let's see if ya still think so after livin' with us for a few days."

"Oh, come on, Jazz. What's so bad about him? He seems like a very capable medic."

"Aw, he is. He's one of the best medical minds in the history of Cybertron. He's developed hundreds of life savin' procedures and saved countless 'bots. Very smart and very capable. And he's a good friend." He chuckled. "But he's also got a temper that'd make a Decepticon run for cover." She laughed and laid her head back against his seat.

They talked the rest of the way to the Ark. She asked him questions about their culture and customs, and enjoyed hearing him talk about Cybertron. He told her stories about the other Autobots that she was sure they would not want him sharing, and she had laughed so hard her sides ached. Jazz had managed to loosen her up, and she was beginning to feel a little less apprehensive about her new assignment.

The hour passed by quickly and Crystal was sure that they were now officially in the middle of nowhere. Jazz had cut his headlights a few miles back when he had turned off the road. Bright moonlight lit up the landscape, revealing nothing but some scrubby-looking trees and a few tall mountains rising up in front of them. Jazz slowed down and stopped at the base of one of the mountains. Large boulders encircled the gigantic geologic structure. He popped open his driver's side door. "Here we are, m'lady."

Crystal frowned and slowly crawled out of his front seat, dragging her bag of supplies with her. What did he mean they were there? She wrapped her arms around herself against the cold desert night as she stepped away from the Autobot. He transformed and reached down to her. She looked at the wall of rock in front of them and then eyed him suspiciously.

"C'mon, Crystal. Trust me?"

Did she have a choice? Out at the edge of a desert in the middle of the night was not exactly the best place or time to argue with a twenty foot alien robot. She sat down gingerly in the palm of his hand, clinging to his thumb, and he lifted her up and walked toward the mountain.

"Jazz, what are you doing?" He didn't answer her, and she cringed and braced herself for impact. It never came. She opened her eyes and immediately squinted against the bright light that now surrounded them. Was she dead? Jazz laughed.

"Ya ok, Crystal? You're awful pale."

"What the hell was that?"

He grinned. "We have to disguise the entrance. Don't want any unwelcome guests wanderin' in."

"Oh, jeez. For a minute there I thought maybe you had lost your mind." She rested her forehead in her hand and began to giggle.

His grin grew wider. "I'm not _that_ tired." Her giggling turned into a fit of laughter and he joined her. They were both way too exhausted. Jazz caught his breath. "Let's get ya into the medbay. Ratchet's probably wonderin' where we've been." He carried her through the Ark, taking a series of turns through the maze-like corridors, before stopping in front of a heavy looking set of doors. He pushed a button on the wall and the doors slid apart with a soft "whoosh". No sooner had he stepped through the doorway than a blur of red and white was suddenly upon them.

"What the pit took you so long?" Ratchet looked incredibly irritated.

"Hey, ya wanted her here in one piece didn't ya?" Jazz smirked at him.

Ratchet sighed, and his expression softened as he noticed the startled look on Crystal's face. "Yes. Thank you, Jazz. Now, get your aft outta here and go get some recharge." He pointed a finger at the second in command. "But I want you back here first thing before your shift. I need to work on your armor and run a check on your fuel lines."

"Ok, Ratch." He gently set Crystal down. "G'night, Crystal."

"Goodnight." She watched him exit. The heavy metal doors whooshed closed behind him, leaving her alone with Ratchet. She looked up at the massive mech standing over her.

"You need to get some rest, Crystal. I'll show you to your temporary sleeping quarters. Follow me."

* * *

_So, there you have it. Please review! No flames, please, but I welcome and appreciate constructive criticism. If I don't know I'm doing something wrong, I can't fix it!  
_

_Just in case some people don't know: AWOL - "Absent Without Leave", CO - "Commanding Officer"  
_

_Also, I have no idea if there is a Little Creek, Arizona. I completely made it up. I needed something that sounded like a small town and I figured it was safer to make one up than try and write about a town I have never been to. And I picture the discount store being like a 24hour Walmart (do not own)._

_Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed chapters one and two! I really appreciate it, you have no idea!_

_Stay tuned for chapter four! _


	4. The Ark

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Transformers. Only Crystal belongs to me.

**Chapter 4 – The Ark**

Crystal's first full day at the Ark had begun with Ratchet waking her up at nine o'clock in the morning and taking her on a tour of the base. From the safety of her perch on the medic's shoulder she was introduced to some of the Autobots who had arrived on Earth aboard the gigantic space cruiser.

The bots' chief security officer and military strategist, Prowl, seemed indifferent to her presence. When Ratchet introduced her to him he had merely said, "It is a pleasure to have you here, Doctor Greene" before nodding curtly to the medic and continuing his brisk walk down a long corridor.

When Ratchet had taken her into the rec room she had been immediately greeted by a grinning Jazz and a fully repaired Bumblebee. The yellow 'bot had scooped the young woman up into the best hug he could manage without crushing her, obviously pleased that at least one of his humans had returned to the Ark with them. He had then introduced her to the two curious mechs who were also present in the lounge that morning. The green mech named Hound chuckled at the sight of Bumblebee attempting to hug the human while the mech named Wheeljack bent down to get a closer look at her. They both had seemed incredibly friendly and eager to learn as much as they could about the humans and their strange organic planet, but while Hound was a little more soft-spoken and reserved, Wheeljack was a chatterbox. His CPU seemed to run in a million different directions at once. Ratchet had warned her to stay away from his lab if she valued her body in one piece.

The medic had also taken her with him to Optimus' office. The CMO had worked tirelessly the night before to repair the commander's multiple injuries and needed to check on some of the welds he'd made in the wounded mech's armor. The leader had greeted the young woman as Ratchet set her down on Prime's desk. "Good morning, Doctor Greene. Did you sleep well?" She had stuttered out a clumsy, "Yes, thank you," surprised that the leader of a group of alien robot soldiers was concerned about her comfort. He had simply nodded and smiled kindly down at her as Ratchet began to look him over. Optimus had clearly still been in pain, but refused to return to the medbay. There was just too much to do. Ratchet had left him with stern instructions to take it easy and to contact him if any of the welds started to open up.

Then there were the twins. Ratchet did not introduce her to the twins, they introduced themselves. They had barged into the medbay later that morning, demanding to meet the first human to set foot on the Ark. Sideswipe had been fascinated by her, even picking her up to get a closer look. Ratchet had gently plucked her out of the red Lamborghini's hand, before smacking him upside the head. Sideswipe's brother, Sunstreaker, had simply stood there eyeing her with a passive expression. She had shifted uncomfortably under his scrutinizing gaze, until he cracked a sarcastic grin at her. "Welcome to the Ark, Crystal. Good luck sharing the medbay with the Hatchet." It was then that Ratchet threw them out, threatening to weld their skidplates together if they sashayed their sorry afts through the medbay doors one more time that day.

Now she was sitting in Ratchet's office, on the cool metal surface that was the medic's desk, performing the stressful and tedious task of putting together a list of equipment and supplies she would need for the human portion of the medbay. The task had taken hours to complete, and if it weren't for the strange reassurance the medic's presence provided she may have allowed her mind to wander back to the worries that had haunted her the night before. She took a moment to stand and stretch her cramping muscles, glancing over at the Autobot CMO who was currently recalibrating one of his circuit sensors. She watched as his nimble fingers manipulated the delicate circuitry of the medical device. She had spent the better part of the day filling out equipment requisitions and listening to the sounds of small clicks and clanks as the medic worked on some of his field equipment that had been damaged in Mission City, but the sound that had caught her attention was the gentle hum of the large mech's internal systems. She found it oddly soothing. And there was something strangely familiar about the soft thrum that could also be heard coming from within his body, steady and constant, almost like a heartbeat.

Ratchet felt the woman's gaze and turned his head to look at her. "How's that list comin' along?"

She stared at him for a moment longer before yawning and bending down to pick up her laptop. "I think I'm done."

Much to her surprise, the medic reached over and snatched the computer from her hands. He scanned one of the USB ports then extended a small cable from the tip of his pinky finger. The end of the cable transformed and plugged into the computer's port. Seconds later he retracted the cable and handed the laptop back to the curious doctor.

"What did you just do?"

"I downloaded your list."

"Why?"

"I'm going to upgrade some of your equipment."

She continued to stare at him. "What do you mean 'upgrade'?"

"I've been doing some extensive research on human anatomy and medicine and I have some ideas on how we can improve some of your medical techniques." She raised an eyebrow and he continued. "I'd like to work with you on implementing these modifications."

Her first reaction to his statement was one of apprehension and she almost told him to forget it. But this was Ratchet, the best doctor Cybertron had to offer according to Jazz. And a being of higher intelligence could obviously design more effective medical procedures and equipment better than any human on Earth. She smiled as she realized the quality of the care her future patients would be receiving.

"That's great, Ratchet. Thank you. I can't wait to see what you have in mind."

He nodded, but instead of turning his attention back to his circuit sensor his optics remained focused on the young woman standing on his desk next to him. Bright blue eyes locked onto cool blue optics as Crystal looked up from her computer screen and met his gaze. The medic's brow furrowed slightly. The two were still for a moment before the young woman shifted on her feet and tilted her head to one side. It looked as though Ratchet were deep in thought about something. Before she could ask him if something was wrong, the sound of the main medbay doors opening broke the entrancing silence and whatever Ratchet had been quietly contemplating was quickly pushed aside.

"I suppose we should go see who that is. It's time for a break anyway, I think. You've been at that for hours." He stood up from his desk and held his hand out to her. She sighed heavily and stepped onto his awaiting palm. He grinned as he gently set her down on the floor. "I'll build you a set of stairs as soon as I get a free moment."

She chuckled as she stepped out of his hand and headed for the doorway. "You read my mind." She was already getting tired of constantly needing to be lifted up and set back down in order to reach anything in the medbay, and this was only her first day.

She strode out of Ratchet's office and into the main part of the medbay only to find herself immediately caught up in a pair of powerful arms. She let out a surprised cry and tried to break free, but the arms hoisted her up and slung her over a muscular shoulder. Now she was spinning, and a loud chorus of whoops and hollers echoed around the medbay. Her assailant set her back down and she laughed in disbelief when she surveyed the group of soldiers that surrounded her. Sergeant Robert Epps kept a large arm slung around the doctor's shoulders.

Crystal grinned and shook her head. "I thought I was rid of you creeps for good."

Lennox laughed and motioned to the other men. The soldiers encircled her and began to close in.

"No." She held up a finger in warning. "Will, no. NO!" She tried to back away but it was too late.

Lennox continued to laugh and Epps yelled out over her protests, "Doc pile!!" She shrieked as the soldiers rushed in on her all at once, forming a massive 'group glomp'. She was caught in a sea of rowdy, smelly male bodies and she fought in vain to be released from their collective grasp. Once they had their fill of crushing and jostling the poor doctor the men backed off and she was able to catch her breath.

"I hate it when you guys do that." She huffed and began straightening out her clothes and fixing her hair. Lennox reached over and squeezed her shoulder.

"Aw, c'mon, Doc, admit it. You missed us." He pulled her in for a rough hug.

"Are you kidding?!' She shook him off. "You guys are some of the most irresponsible, reckless, irritating-"

The rest of her tirade was drowned out by the boisterous laugh of Sergeant Epps. "Yea, she missed us."

He gave her a playful shove with one hand. She glared at the tech sergeant but couldn't stop the grin that was slowly creeping across her face. Though she had just seen them the day before, she _had_ missed them. When Keller had reassigned her she had hoped beyond hope that her guys would be a part of the new nonexistent special operations division. They had all grown close during their time together in Qatar. She had patched each of them up countless times, and they, in turn, had saved her skin more than once. She was relieved to be stationed with them again. They may be reckless idiots, but they were _her_ reckless idiots and she didn't want anyone else taking care of them.

She crossed her arms in front of her chest. "So, I'm stuck with you guys again, huh?"

"Oh, yea." Lennox nodded and smirked at her. "Keller decided that since we're already, uh, _familiar_ with the aliens that we should be the first squad of the new special ops division."

Epps spoke up, "Which means you get to keep lookin' at mah beautiful, smilin' face, Doc." He winked at her and she snorted.

"Well, she'll have to admire your good looks later, Epps. We gotta get going." Lennox motioned for his men to head out.

"Whao whao whao. Wait a second." Crystal held up her hands and stepped in front of them, effectively positioning herself between the men and the doors. "Where do you guys think you're going?"

"We need to start on supply runs, Doc. This base has gotta be able to house humans," Lennox pointed a nonthreatening finger at her, "and your medical equipment ain't gonna walk here by itself. Speaking of which, Keller wants you to send him your requisitions as soon as you're done with 'em."

"I'd really like to check you guys over before you head out. You've all had a rough couple of days." Her eyes roamed over the group of men in front of her as she spoke.

"We're fine, Greene. All the guys with the major injuries are still at Mission City Memorial. Keller's gonna have 'em transferred here soon as we get this place up and running."

She made no move to get out of their way and Lennox sighed. "Look, I'll bring 'em all in first thing tomorrow and you can have your way with 'em, ok?"

She ignored the whoops and 'oh yea's of the rowdy bunch as she chewed on her lip and visually scanned each of them again. After a moment she nodded slowly. "Alright." She stepped aside and Lennox patted her shoulder as he passed. She turned and watched the men exit the medbay. Epps turned briefly to wave and blow her an overly-dramatic kiss. She rolled her eyes. _What a bunch of goofballs._

* * *

Ratchet leaned against the doorway of his office and chuckled as he watched the comical scene in front of him unfold. Crystal was being helplessly picked up, spun around, and jostled about by the group of men that had aided the Autobots at Mission City. Captain Lennox spotted the CMO in the doorway and sent up a salute in greeting. He smiled and nodded at the man before turning his head toward the large black mech who had escorted the soldiers to the medbay. The group of humans paid the mech no mind as he strode over and stood next to Ratchet.

"How's she doin'?" Ironhide leaned back against the wall next to the doorframe.

"She's holding up ok." Ratchet kept his voice low. "Jazz said she was a little stressed on their way here last night, but she's seems alright today."

They both looked down at the group of humans when a distressed Crystal began to yell.

"No. Will, no! NO!"

One of the men yelled 'Doc pile!', and the two mechs chuckled as the soldiers encircled her in one rowdy mass hug. Ironhide made the mistake of grunting as he shifted his weight to his left leg.

"How's that leg?" Ratchet eyed the warrior's limb. After working on Optimus and Bumblebee the entire night, he'd spent a considerable amount of time early that morning pulling shrapnel out of the circuits and energon lines in the black mech's knee.

"Eh." He waved him off. "It's fine, Ratch. Ya fixed me up good as new."

"No pain?"

"Nope." He grimaced.

The medic gave him a level glare. "You really should take a few lessons on lying from the twins."

Ironhide grinned sheepishly at the medic who continued to stare at him with a gaze that could pierce armor. The black mech made a sputtering sound and turned his attention back to the group of humans in front of them. The soldiers had released the doctor and she was now straightening her clothes and smoothing her hair.

"Aw, c'mon, Doc, admit it. You missed us." Captain Lennox was grinning as he reached over and pulled Crystal into an embrace.

"Are you kidding?!' She wriggled out of his grasp. "You guys are some of the most irresponsible, reckless, irritating-"

Ironhide laughed, "Primus, Ratchet, she sounds like you."

Ratchet snorted, but he wore an amused expression as he shook his head and took a hold of Ironhide's arm. "Well, dealing with a bunch of idiotic, slag-for-brains, trigger happy, soldier-wannabes will do that to anybody. Now get your aft into my office so I can take another look at that leg."

* * *

Sam Witwicky sprinted down the hallway and into the bathroom, nearly killing himself tripping over his chihuahua in the process. Mojo yelped and ran into Sam's room. "Sorry, Pal! Ohhhhh, I'm late. Late late late." He furiously tore through the many drawers and cupboards grabbing his tooth brush, tooth paste, and various other hygiene items, and stuffing them into his backpack. Bumblebee would be there any minute.

"Sam? Sweetie, what on Earth are you doing?" Judy Witwicky stood in the hallway with her arms crossed gingerly over her chest, obviously wondering why her son was tearing the bathroom apart drawer by drawer.

"Mom, why didn't you wake me up?!" Sam didn't look at her as he battled the tangle of cords on the bathroom counter, trying to free his electric shaver.

"Sam…"

"Seven o'clock, Mom. I said _seven o'clock!_" He hurried past her and back down the hallway into his bedroom.

"Well, I _did_ come up, but you just looked so tired, Sammy. I didn't want to wake you just yet." She followed him down the hall and stood in his doorway.

"Of course I looked tired, Mom. I was sleeping! People _tend _to look _tired_ when they are _asleep._ And for the love of God, please don't call me Sammy ever again." He was frantically stuffing clothes into a duffle bag.

She sighed heavily. "So, what time is Mikaela picking you up?"

His parents had been understandably concerned when Sam was dropped off the week before by a mysterious black GMC Topkick, and he had been forced to construct an intricate web of falsities on the spot. He had told them that he had been caught up in the 'terrorist attack' in downtown Mission City and forced to leave his car behind. He and Mikaela had obtained a ride home from her uncle who lived in the city. He'd told them that this 'uncle' was going to come and pick them both up in a week and bring them back to Mission City to spend a few days with him. He had asked the teens to help him repair the damage done to his apartment during the 'attack', and Sam could also pick up his car. Much to Sam's relief, his parents bought the hastily and poorly woven string of lies.

In fact, he was actually waiting for Bumblebee to pick both he and Mikaela up and take them back to the Autobot base. He was dying to see this "Ark" Ironhide had told him about as well as his new friends, especially his guardian. He had told the yellow 'bot to meet him a block from his house.

"She's not, Mom."

"What? Well then who is?"

Sam stopped himself as he realized he was about to say 'Bumblebee'. "Her uncle, Mom. I'm going over to Mikaeala's and he's picking both of us up there. I told you that last week!"

She sighed again and her face fell. "I don't know why you feel the need to leave home a week after terrorists blew up half of Mission City." Sam was about to let out a snort but stopped himself when he caught sight of the downcast look on his mother's face. He suddenly felt sorry for all of the anxiety he had caused her and the lies he'd told her the past few days. He walked over and wrapped his arms around her.

"It's ok, Mom. I'll be fine. I promise. I'll call you every night, ok?" He let go of her and she let a small smile cross her features.

"Ok. I'll go pack you some sandwiches."

"Thanks, Mom. Love you."

She smiled brightly. That made her day. "Love you too, Sammy."

Half an hour later Sam and Mikaela were riding with an excited and talkative Bumblebee on their way to the Ark.

* * *

The week after the battle at Mission City had proven to be more trying than Crystal had been prepared for. Not only was she forced to adjust rather quickly to the fact that a race of giant mechanoids was now residing on her planet and that she was going to be living with them, but she had been working with Ratchet non-stop all week to get the human portion of the medbay ready. In her "free time", she worked with Lennox's men, Bumblebee, Jazz, and the Lambo twins to get the human living quarters ready as well. Ironhide and Hound had been running back and forth with the humans on supply runs for both major projects.

In the few hours that she wasn't in the medbay or working on the living quarters, she had spent her time with Bumblebee and Jazz. The yellow mech had taken a tremendous liking to the three humans he had spent his first few days on Earth with, and Jazz had also begun to form something of a friendship with the young doctor. One night, after a particularly stressful day in the medbay, they had taken Crystal out for a drive. They found an incredible lookout point on one of the smaller desert mountains where they had spent an hour or so looking up at the stars and letting the stresses of the day melt away. She had been absolutely fascinated as the two mechs pointed out the locations of various planets and galaxies. She had fallen asleep on their way back to the base, and woke up the next morning in her own, almost completed, quarters.

Now she sat in her newly built office, leaning back in her chair and taking the moment of respite to think. There was something gnawing away at her, and she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Her door was open and she could see into Ratchet's office on the other side of the medbay. He was hunched over his workbench, though what he was working on she couldn't tell. She could hear the occasional familiar clanks and scrapes of metal on metal, but his hands were obscured from her vision by the door frame. His face bore a look of concentration. These beings truly were incredible. Their face plates were made of what Ratchet had called "flex metal", enabling them to display incredibly human-like expressions. They experienced the same range of emotions as humans as well, and each mech had his own unique personality. Perhaps it was more accurate to say that the humans resembled the Autobots, since the 'bots had clearly existed first.

Her eyes remained glued on the medic, watching the various wires and cables visible between sections of his armor flex with each deliberate movement of his hands. She sat up straight and gripped the edge of her desk. This wasn't right. She had caught herself actually admiring the physique of a male that wasn't even of her own species, and this wasn't the first time. She suddenly realized that this was exactly what was bothering her. _What the hell is wrong with me? _She got up and closed her door, then walked back to her desk and sank down into her chair. How could she feel … _attracted _to an alien robot? It wasn't just a physical attraction either. She found his personality to be magnetic. Though she'd only known him for a week, she could tell that beneath his gruff exterior was a devoted doctor who cared deeply for his friends. He would drop whatever he was doing in an instant in order to tend to a mech in pain, and he always worked quickly and efficiently, paying extreme attention to every detail. The Autobots were very fortunate to have such a dedicated member in their medical ranks.

She took a deep breath and reflected on the odd emotions she'd experienced in the previous week. Once she had somewhat gotten over her fear of living with the 'bots, she had begun to feel something of a strange connection to the massive autonomous beings. As if this wasn't troubling enough, she was also beginning to feel an even stranger connection between herself and the CMO. She buried her face in her hands and let out an exasperated moan. _I'm just tired. I'm just tired. I'm just tired…_

* * *

Ratchet looked up from rewiring one of his field scanners when he heard Crystal's door close from across the medbay. He frowned. Though he had only known her for a few orns, it seemed unlike her to close her office door. He put the scanner down and stretched his arms above his head. His weary shoulder joints let out a series of loud creaks and pops that echoed across the medbay. He grunted and leaned back over his desk, glancing over at Crystal's door before resting his forehead on his fist. He couldn't help but enjoy the human doctor's company. She was a lot like him…a little rough around the edges, but extremely dedicated to her profession and the soldiers in her care. She was also a fast learner. He had worked with her all week implementing some of the modifications to her medical equipment, and she'd caught on much faster than he'd expected. But there was something else about her. He didn't quite yet know what it was, but he couldn't help but feel that it made her much different from the other humans he'd met thus far. It was almost as if she somehow belonged there on the Ark with them. He had no idea what it could possibly be, but his keen intuition had never mislead him before. It troubled him.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the main doors to the medbay opening. He stood and strode out of his office to find Bumblebee passing over the threshold. Sam and Mikaela smiled and waved at him from where they were perched on each of the yellow mech's shoulders. Ratchet smiled and nodded in greeting as he approached. "It's good to see you both again. Welcome to the Ark."

"So, what'd you do with Crystal, Ratchet?" Sam grinned. Mikaela and Bumblebee snickered. Obviously their joke from the previous week was still funny.

He motioned toward the door in the far corner of the medbay. "She's in her office."

Bumblebee set Sam and Mikaela down and the boy ran over and pounded on the door. A few seconds later a flustered-looking Crystal appeared. Her irritation faded immediately and she smiled at the teens. "Hey, you're here earlier than I thought you'd be."

"Yea, it was awesome. Bumblebee drove so fa-" Sam stopped in mid-sentence as he noticed Bumblebee frantically waving his hands and nodding toward Ratchet, whose back was facing him. The medic raised an optic ridge and folded his arms over his chassis.

"Bumblebee did _what_?" His voice had taken on a dangerous tone. He glared at the young scout who shrugged and grinned sheepishly. "What did I tell you about being careful with human passengers, you little glitch-head?" Bumblebee's mouth plates worked, but nothing came out as he tried to come up with an answer. Just then the communications panel on the medbay's teletraan one station began to beep, saving the young mech from his impending doom. "We'll discuss this later," Ratchet warned him before walking over and hitting a button on the keypad.

The gentle countenance of Optimus Prime filled the screen. He opened his mouth to speak to his CMO, but stopped and smiled when he noticed Sam and Mikaela standing next to a shaken-looking Bumblebee. "Hello, Sam. Mikaela. I am pleased to see that you have both arrived safely. Welcome to the Ark." Sam and Mikalea both waved and smiled broadly up at his image. He turned his attention back to the medic. "Ratchet, we have received a transmission."

Ratchet dropped his hands to his sides. "An Autobot?"

"Yes. We do not yet know who it is. The signal was incomplete. All we know at this point is that they will arrive in approximately half a stellar cycle. I will keep you informed of any further transmissions."

Ratchet nodded. "Alright. Thanks, Prime." Optimus nodded before closing the channel. Ratchet and Bumblebee stood staring at the black screen.

"Who do you think it could be?" Bumblebee's voice was a low whisper. Ratchet shook his head. It had been a long time since any of them had seen another one of their comrades.

"I don't know, Kid. Your guess is as good as mine."

Bumblebee looked down when Mikaela reached out and touched his leg. "Another Autobot is really coming?" He nodded. "How long until they get here? I mean, how long is, uh…half a stellar cycle?"

"About three of your Earth months." He replied.

Ratchet looked away from the darkened screen and glanced around the medbay. "It'll give me plenty of time to update some of my equipment. Who knows what kind of shape they'll be in when they get here."

The five of them turned as the medbay doors opened once more. Prowl strode in with his characteristically stiff gait, each heavy footstep falling on the floor with military precision. Sam and Mikaela moved closer to Bumblebee as the intimidating mech approached.

"Prowl." Ratchet, who was now leaning against the communications panel with his arms folded across his chest, acknowledged the security officer.

Prowl stopped and stood with his hands clasped behind his back. "I assume Optimus has informed you of the transmission we received?"

"Yes."

"Good." He looked down at the two new arrivals to the Ark. "You are Samuel Witwicky and Mikaela Banes?" His voice was painfully flat and dry. The two humans nodded.

Bumblebee spoke up, "This is Prowl. He's our chief security officer and strategist."

"Uh, nice to meet you, Prowl," Sam offered. Prowl acknowledged him with the same indifference he had shown Crystal.

"I'd like the two of you to come with me for a security briefing."

Crystal stifled a giggle. She had sat through that briefing with her guys earlier in the week and had nearly fallen asleep several times as his monotone voice droned on and on about security protocols. He had spent nearly an hour just telling them why they should never bring in any strange or out of place objects from the surrounding desert. It could be a Decepticon trick. She had been slightly irritated at that. Why the hell would they pick up random objects lying in the desert and bring them into the base? Did he really think they were that stupid?

"Now?" Ratchet scoffed. "It's late, Prowl, let 'em get some rest first."

Prowl cast him a sharp look that soon dissipated when confronted with Ratchet's own lethal glare. Prowl had learned long ago not to mess with the moody medic.

"I won't keep them long. I'd prefer to get it done tonight while I have some spare time."

Ratchet tapped his fingers on his arm. "Fine. One of us will come over in _one_ hour to show them to their quarters." He emphasized the word "one" by holding up his index finger.

Prowl sniffed and then nodded before looking back down at Sam and Mikaela. "Follow me, please."

* * *

"Ratchet, 'Bee went to get Sam and Mikaeala. I'm going to head to my quarters and go to bed." The medic heard Crystal call to him as she made her way across the medbay over to his office. She poked her head through the doorway. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Crystal," he replied calmly without looking down at her. He was busy organizing a cabinet full of assorted tools, every now and then emitting a few choice words in Cybertronian. He was going to have to have yet _another_ chat with Wheeljack about returning his equipment to its proper place.

He heard the scuff of her shoes on the floor as she turned and began to head toward the main doors. Her footsteps stopped and they both momentarily froze as a dull humming sound began to fill the medbay. Ratchet slowly rose to his feet and frowned when he located the source of the noise. It was coming from the armored cabinet that housed the Allspark fragment on the back wall of his office. He strode over to it and began unlocking the door. Crystal turned and headed back towards him, approaching the cabinet slowly. As soon as the medic opened the cabinet doors, the strange humming sound grew louder. It was coming from the Allspark fragment.

Crystal covered her ears and cringed. "Ratchet, why is it doing that?!" She had to raise her voice significantly to be heard over the ear-splitting noise.

He didn't answer. He was scanning the fragment, puzzled as to why its vibration signature had suddenly moved into audible range. She moved closer and stared at the jagged object. Suddenly she gasped and clutched at her chest. Ratchet looked down at her, startled.

"Crystal?"

She continued to stare at the fragment. Her heartbeat had become rapid and irregular. He immediately reached up to close the cabinet doors, but snapped his hand back as the fragment buzzed violently and emitted a sudden, brilliant flash of purple that hit Crystal square in the chest. She let out a surprised cry and fell back onto the floor with a sickening thud. Ratchet had the cabinet door closed and locked in an astrosecond. He scooped up the stunned doctor and carried her quickly into the medbay, laying her on one of the examination tables and running a thorough scan on her body. He quickly pulled open the top part of her button-up blouse to get a better look at where she had been hit. The skin didn't appear to be irritated in the slightest. Her eyes slowly fluttered open and she tried to sit up. He gently pushed her back down onto the table.

"Easy. Just lie still for a moment."

"Wh-what just happened?" Her voice was weak.

"You were hit by an energy flare from the Allspark fragment." He glanced back at the cabinet. The humming had stopped.

She frowned up at him. "Why?"

His scans revealed nothing. Her heartbeat had returned to normal and the rest of her bodily systems seemed unaffected by the sudden burst of energy. "Do you feel any pain anywhere?"

She frowned and rubbed at her chest where the energy flare had hit her. "No…" She pushed his hand away and he reluctantly allowed her to sit up. She swung her legs over the edge of the mech sized table and stopped herself as she almost plummeted to the floor. He quickly caught her shoulder and pulled her back onto the table.

"Will you just stay put for an astrosecond?" The medic's tone was rough, but his fingers were gentle as he placed them under her chin and tilted her head up. The tip of his index finger on his other hand transformed back to reveal a bright, internally-mounted penlight. He raised it up and shown it into each of her eyes. She squinted against the bright light. No wonder her patients' first reaction was to bat her hands away when she used hers.

Unnoticed by either of them, two teens and a yellow mech had entered the medbay to see Ratchet raising a glowing fingertip to the face of a stunned-looking Crystal. Sam's eyes widened and he doubled over, suddenly falling victim to a fit of _extremely manly_ high-pitched giggles. Ratchet and Crystal both jumped a little and quickly turned around to see the teen leaning against Bumblebee's leg, shaking with laughter. Mikaela raised an eyebrow and Bumblebee shrugged. Sam looked up at them and struggled to regain control of his breathing. Slowly, he raised his own index finger up to Mikaeala's face and in a very E.T.-esque voice said, "Ooooouch." Now Mikaela was also laughing, and Bumblebee still looked completely lost. Crystal hid a smirk. She might have joined them in their laughing fit if weren't for her recent traumatic experience.

Ratchet frowned at the two incapacitated teens before turning to Bumblebee. "Excuse us for a moment." He picked Crystal up off the examination table and carried her into his office, closing the door behind him. He set her down on his desk and began to run yet another full body scan. She narrowed her eyes and glowered up at him.

"Don't do that again."

"What?"

"You can't just pick me up and carry me off whenever you damn well feel like it. I-"

"Hush." He finished his scan and met her poisonous glare. "I'm sorry, Crystal, but I'm more concerned with your health right now than proper transformer-human etiquette."

She slumped forward and rested her chin on her hand, too tired to argue.

"Why did the fragment do that?"

Ratchet shook his head. "I don't know. But, it doesn't appear to have had any effect on you…yet."

A worried expression crossed her features. "Yet?"

"I can't be sure, but it may take a while for any residual effects of the energy flare to appear. I want you to stay here tonight so I can keep an optic on you."

"No." She shook her head and held up a hand in protest. "That's not necessary, Ratchet."

"Crystal, I think it would be best-" The sudden sensation of her small hand overtop his own larger one cut his words short.

"I'm a doctor too, remember? If I feel like something's wrong I'll contact you, ok?"

He wasn't in the habit of taking no for an answer, and he almost gave her the "save it for your creator" speech he often used on Ironhide and Optimus. However, he was perfectly aware that medics made the worst patients, and that those words would be useless on someone who probably used the same kind of tactic to subdue their own medical charges. He_ was_ concerned though. He couldn't figure out why the Allspark fragment directed a pointed energy flare at the young woman, and why it had no detectable effect on her body. He sighed and turned his hand over, clasping his fingers over her hand. He helped her to step onto his other palm and carefully set her down on the floor.

He furrowed his brow slightly. "Promise me you'll contact me if you so much as sneeze tonight."

She snorted.

"I mean it. And I'll want to run some more tests on you in the morning. You may be a doctor too, but you don't have the experience to deal with a situation like this. As of tonight, you're one of my patients."

She crossed her arms and studied the medic's face, taking note of the slight frown he wore. It was one of concern, though, not of smugness, and she realized that this was not a battle of stubborn wills. He was right.

"That's fine. I just want to go get some sleep." She suddenly looked very defeated, and very tired.

"I know." He opened the door to allow her passage into the main part of the medbay.

"Thank you, Ratchet."

He nodded. "Goodnight, Crystal."

She exited his office and he followed closely behind her, watching as she strode over to the two teens and Bumblebee who were waiting for her with puzzled expressions.

She smiled at them, all traces of fear or worry sufficiently hidden. "You guys look exhausted. Let's get you to your rooms." With that she ushered the teens out of the medbay.

The CMO watched the three humans exit. Bumblebee still stood there, staring at the medic with an optic ridge raised. Ratchet cast him a pointed glare and nodded toward the door. He wasn't about to explain himself to the kid tonight. The yellow Camero sighed, threw his hands up, and followed the humans out the door, shaking his head. The main doors closed behind him and Ratchet turned and walked slowly back into his office, deep in thought. He made his way over to the armored cabinet and unlocked the door once more. With a hesitant hand, he carefully extracted the jagged piece of metal that was the Allspark shard. The medic turned the fragment over in his hands. There was no way he was getting any recharge tonight. With the shard still in his grasp, he exited his office. He needed to figure out just what had happened tonight.

_Ratchet to optimus._

_Go ahead, Ratchet._

_You busy?_

Optimus chuckled softly. _I'm always busy. What do you need?_

_Can you come down to the medbay? I need to speak with you._

_What's wrong?_

_There's been an incident. _He paused. _It involves the Allspark fragment._

_I'll be right there._

* * *

_Thanks for reading chapter 4! I hope you take the time to review. Constructive criticism is always welcomed, just no flames please._

_A big piece of "thank you cake" to everyone who has reviewed my story so far. I really appreciate it. You guys rawk!_

_Also, I hope at least some people appreciated my E.T. reference (do not own). I absolutely adore that movie and it was on the other day while I was working on this, so I couldn't resist putting in a little something. XD If you have never seen that movie, I highly recommend it. _


	5. A Restless Night

_**Author's Note:** I apologize profusely for the delayed update. I suffered from and extended period of writer's block and self doubt, and I was scared to continue writing this. Many thanks go to Dreamchylde, NTLDR, and my buds on DevArt for encouraging me to press on!_

_I've decided to post updates on how my story is coming along on my deviant art page. I was going to use my livejournal for that, but I decided that I'd rather keep that personal. So feel free to check out my DavArt page for fanfic related news. You'll find the link in my profile._

Disclaimer: I do not own trasnformers. Only Crystal belongs to me.

**Chapter 5 – A Restless Night  
**

The dull red glow from the night time corridor lights washed over Crystal's weary features as she led the way to the human living quarters with two tired teenagers in tow. The halls on this level of the Ark were quiet save for the soft footsteps of the three humans who continued to walk on in exhausted silence. When they reached the end of the main corridor the doctor motioned for them to follow her into a short hallway that led off to the right. After walking a few more paces she turned to face them and smiled. "Here we are."

While the soldiers' quarters were located one deck below the medbay, Sam, Mikaela, and Crystal's quarters were located just down the hall on the same level, so that the three of them had a short corridor to themselves. Though these two areas had been remodeled for human occupants, Ratchet did not like the idea of being unable to get to them if there were ever an emergency and so the doors and ceilings had been left high enough to accommodate a crouching mech. Crystal's room had been built adjacent to the medbay with a door leading directly into her office, in addition to the door leading out into the main hallway, to reduce her response time in case of an emergency.

Sam and Mikaela were suddenly much more awake. Their eyes brightened and they grinned at each other, absolutely giddy that the Autobots had set aside a section of rooms for just the three of them. The doctor gave them their individual room codes and smiled as the two of them punched the numbers into the keypads and explored their new living spaces with the same level of excitement as a couple of kids on Christmas morning. Sam plopped his bags on the floor and ran towards his bed, leaping onto it and jumping around wildly. Mikaela also set her bags down and began to explore her quarters, though in a more subdued manner than her newly acquired significant other. She circled the room slowly, running her fingers across various pieces of furniture as she passed by. Her eyes brightened and she smiled when she noticed the flowers that had been placed on her nightstand. "Who…?"

Crystal grinned as the girl walked over and picked up the rather large card that was lying next to the fragrant arrangement. Bumblebee had wanted to welcome his humans by leaving a little something in each of their rooms. He had asked Crystal what would be an appropriate gift for a human female and had been fascinated to learn that they loved fragrant and colorful organic plants.

Mikaela laughed as she read the card. Sam wandered out of his room to lean on her doorframe, struck curious by the doctor's knowing smile and Mikaela's soft laughter. "Who's that from?"

"Bumblebee." She was still staring at the card, grinning broadly.

"What does it say, Mikaela?" Crystal was curious. She hadn't seen the message the yellow 'bot had left in the card. Mikaela giggled and held it up for both her and Sam to see.

_Thanks for saving my aft. Welcome to the Ark._

_-Bee_

Crystal laughed. It was too adorable. Sam snorted and rolled his eyes. "Yea, sure, she gets flowers and a cute card. Look what he left for me!" He held up another large card. With an irritated flick of the wrist, he snapped the card open for them to read.

_I helped you get the girl. You owe me. _

_-Bee_

Crystal and Mikaela both began to laugh. Sam let out a heavy sigh and shook his head before chuckling. "That smartass."

Several moments passed before their tired fit of laughter subsided and the three humans stood in an awkward silence in the middle of the hallway. Crystal sighed and gave the teens a soft smile. "You guys should get some rest." Sam nodded and Mikaela yawned before they bid her goodnight and disappeared into their respective rooms.

Crystal exhaled heavily as her door closed behind her, and she leaned against it. She lifted a hand and gently rubbed at her chest where the energy flare had hit her, staring straight ahead at nothing in particular. The incident had left her completely shaken but she had successfully repressed her shock until she could be alone to think. Tears began to sting her eyes, but she blinked them back and took a deep breath. Slowly, she pushed herself away from the door and made her way into her washroom. She gasped and lightly smacked her forehead when she looked in the mirror to see the top part of her blouse was still undone. Her hair was a frazzled mess as well. She'd walked out of Ratchet's office like that. No wonder Sam and Mikaela had looked at her funny. She sighed and leaned in closer to the mirror, holding her blouse open to get a better look at where she'd been hit. There wasn't even so much as a bruise. What bothered her the most was how puzzled Ratchet had seemed. If such an experienced Cybertronian medic didn't know why the incident had happened, or what could happen to her because of it, then she could be in serious danger.

The young woman let out another deep sigh to steady her nerves before turning on the faucet with a wave of her fingers. She bent down and repeatedly splashed her face, allowing the cool water to wash away the anxiety. If there were going to be any negative effects from the energy flare, worrying would not do a thing to prevent them. Besides, she trusted Ratchet. She knew he wouldn't rest until he'd gotten to the bottom of this strange event. She stood and grabbed a nearby hand towel, slowly dabbing the water off her skin. She paused and frowned, the towel still held up to her cheek, as she realized the thought that had just passed through her mind. Somehow she knew he wouldn't give up.

Though this was only her first week working with the CMO, she was beginning to feel closer to him than any of the other 'bots on the base. The others joked and told horror stories about the medic's gruff demeanor, but she was not put off by it in the least.

Her mind wandered back to the thoughts she had been entertaining earlier that evening in her office. She had been thinking about the strange connection she felt between herself and the Autobots, especially the medic, when she had caught herself admiring him. She had dismissed the thoughts at the time, attributing them simply to her exhaustion. But she knew the feelings were much too real to be the rantings of a tired mind. She found him attractive. It didn't make an ounce of sense, but she couldn't deny it. As troubling as it was that she found him physically attractive, she also couldn't ignore the way she felt around him. Whenever he was near her, she was overcome by an incredible feeling of warmth and security. It was almost as if his very aura wound itself around her, searching her, soothing her, calling to her. Calling… She frowned. It just didn't make any sense.

She put the towel down and turned off the lights before slowly exiting the washroom and making her way to her bedroom, where she changed into her night clothes and sank down gratefully onto her bed. Once she had gotten situated comfortably under her covers, she lay still, staring up at the ceiling. Her hand absentmindedly reached up and lightly touched the spot just underneath her chin where the medic had placed his large, but gentle fingers. She would never forget the way it felt when he had tilted her head up, meeting her eyes with his brilliant blue optics.

"Ahhhhh…" She groaned and covered her face with her hands. _What the hell is going on?_

* * *

The silence in the darkened medbay was broken only by the steady hum and quiet beeping of various pieces of medical equipment. The only white light that was present came from the thin bar that shone from beneath the door to Ratchet's office. Inside, three mechs listened intently as the CMO related to them the troubling events of that evening.

Optimus Prime shifted his weight to lean back against the wall, his optic ridges furrowed at the medic. "Do you have any theories as to why this might have happened, Ratchet?"

The CMO shook his head slowly. "I've never come across anything like this in all my years as a medic. Of course, I've never seen a human and an Allspark fragment together before either." He picked up the Allspark shard and held it up to his optics, turning it in his fingers. "My first thought was that maybe the shard was destabilized. But I've been running scans on this thing all night and the only difference I can find between the fragment and the whole is the level of energy contained within each. The fragment contains less energy than the whole Allspark did, which is to be expected."

He set the fragment down and then leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chassis. "What puzzles me the most is that various humans have had contact with the Allspark since it was discovered here, seemingly with no adverse effects." He frowned. "Sam carried it in close contact with his body for several minutes and it doesn't appear to have done anything to him." The medic tapped a thoughtful finger on his chin. "I'll get both kids in here tomorrow and run the same scans I ran on Crystal."

His optics flicked up and he looked between Wheeljack and Perceptor. "I'll need your help getting to the bottom of this."

Wheel jack, who had been sitting on Ratchet's workbench, pushed himself to his feet with an enthusiastic nod. "You got it, Ratch."

Perceptor nodded slowly, his optics focused on the floor as he stroked his chin. Ratchet could tell that the metaphorical gears in the scientist's sharp CPU were already turning.

The medic nodded, pleased. "Good. We'll start on it tomorrow. The quicker we find out just what happened the better. I'm going to be keeping a close optic on the doctor until we know for sure she's not going to suffer any side effects." He returned his gaze to the Autobot commander who winced as he pushed his upper body away from the wall. Ratchet was willing to bet one of his welds had just opened up.

However, there was no pain evident in the commander's voice as he spoke. "Her superiors will have to be informed of what has happened. Secretary Keller will be arriving tomorrow afternoon. I will tell him then."

Ratchet shook his head. "I think Crystal would rather tell him herself, Prime. If she doesn't feel comfortable explaining it to him, I'll do it."

The commander nodded. It was better if the explanation came from the medic himself, even if an answer had yet to be found. "Very well, Ratchet." He opened the door and stood to the side to allow Perceptor and Wheeljack to exit the medic's office. As he began to fall in behind them, a red hand shot out and took hold of his upper arm.

"Not so fast, Prime."

He turned and cast a weary look at his CMO.

"Don't give me that look. I'm not letting you walk out of here until I check that weld." No one but Ratchet could have used that tone of voice with Autobot leader and gotten away with it. He trusted the medic completely and if Ratchet said there was a problem, then he wasn't going to question him. Optimus nodded and allowed his CMO to pull him back over to the examination table.

* * *

Crystal's forehead was laced with tiny beads of glistening perspiration. Her breath was shallow and her heart pounded loudly within her chest. Both of her hands clutched at her mattress as she tossed and turned, twisting her sheets around her legs. Her blanket and pillow had been cast to the floor several moments ago when the nightmare had begun…

_She could not see anything, but the sounds that surrounded her made her feel an odd mixture of comfort and fear as her body was clutched tightly by a much larger being. The being was quite heavy and moving very swiftly, judging by the sounds of its heavy footfalls and the way her body was jostled by each of its steps. The being grunted as several large objects made loud thumps and scrapes against its body. The sound of howling wind frightened her and she found herself wanting to get as close to this being's warm body as possible. As if sensing her fear, the being hugged her closer to itself, but did not show any sign of slowing down._

_The emotions stirring within her felt incredibly strange, almost as if they were not completely her own. There was a sense of comfort from the familiar and gentle humming that filled her ears, but that feeling of calm was slowly being overtaken by a much stronger feeling of anxiety that seemed to wind its way around her very soul. Her whole body began to tremble and the feeling of worry only intensified. _

_The being's pace finally began to slow down, until it was standing completely still. A strange, loud whining filled the air, sounding almost like someone gasping for breath, but much more mechanized. Crystal stirred, but the being held her tighter and closer to its warmth. _

_Suddenly a higher pitched humming sound surrounded her followed immediately by an earsplitting blast. The ground, and even the very air around them, shook. Her ears were ringing and her body felt hot. She tried to cry out, but no sound would come forth. The most intense mixture of fear and anxiety that she had ever felt coursed through her and she shook with terror. _

_A wave of heat spread over her body followed by a second wave of moist, cool air as the being began to move forward again. She shivered from the sudden change of temperature. Without warning, a shrill beeping noise echoed around her, growing louder and louder, intensifying with each pulse of sound... _

Crystal shot upright in her bed, her chest heaving, and her entire body trembling. Her panicked eyes darted wildly about her room, searching for the source of the horrible noise. Her gaze fell on her alarm clock and she immediately reached over and slammed her hand down on it. After multiple violent attempts at finding the right button, the beeping finally stopped and she turned to face forward again. Her chest felt as though it were on fire. She wiped the perspiration from her brow with the back of her hand, only to realize that her entire body was drenched in sweat. She drew her legs up to her chest and rocked herself gently back and forth as she sobbed softly into her knees.

As her head began to clear, and she realized that it had all been a nightmare, her heart rate slowed. She took several deep breaths, trying desperately to calm the rest of her body. As her muscles ceased their trembling and her breathing returned to normal, she noticed that the burning sensation in her chest was not subsiding. She reached a hand up and touched the skin, crying out in pain as she did so. Her eyes brimmed with tears at the dizzying, white hot sensation that stung her. Panic began to rise up within her as her groggy mind cleared and she remembered the incident with the Allspark fragment.

She slowly inched her way to the edge of her bed, taking shallow and measured breaths. Swinging her legs gingerly over the side, she eased herself onto her feet. She steadied herself with one hand on the wall as she made her way to the washroom, welcoming the cool sensation of the metal floor on her bare feet. She felt along the wall for the light controls. Her trembling fingers found the knob and she squinted her eyes against the bright washroom lights. As she neared the mirror, her image slowly came into focus, and she gasped and clutched onto the edge of the sink when she caught sight of her chest. She pulled down the collar on her top and stared in horror at the image that was revealed. The spot on her chest where the energy flare had hit her was beyond inflamed. Painful blisters bubbled up in the center and the skin was a sickening deep purple color, edged with a deep, crimson red. Tendrils of purplish-red snaked out from the center, licking at her collar bone and disappearing between her breasts beneath the material of her nightshirt. "Oh, my god…" She whimpered and clapped a hand over her mouth. She felt her knees buckle and she turned and leaned back against the wall, sinking slowly to the floor.

She forced her breathing to slow. She had to calm down. Whatever was happening to her didn't seem to be immediately life threatening. If she could just get dressed and get herself to the medbay she'd be okay. She slowly pushed herself to her feet once more.

Ignoring the burning sensation as best she could, she carefully got dressed, wincing in pain as the material of her shirt fell to rest against her irritated skin. She slipped her shoes onto her feet and headed for the door. She jumped and cried out as her cell phone suddenly began to ring, startling her.

Perceptor and Wheeljack had reformatted the device with Cybertronian technology, along with the soldiers' radios and personal cellular phones. They were now linked up through Skyspy, the 'bots' personal satellite, as well as the Autobot's main communications system, so the humans had direct access to each other and to the aliens at all times. She lifted a finger to tap the earpiece the scientists had fashioned for her, only to realize she hadn't put it in yet. She took a deep breath and reached down to her hip, detaching the phone. She frowned as she looked at the screen. It was Ratchet.

"This is Crystal."

"Crystal. This is Ratchet. You need to get to the medbay."

Her frown deepened. Did he know? He couldn't possibly know. "Ratchet, I-" She began to stutter out a reply but was cut off by the medic's calm but urgent voice.

"Crystal you need to get to the medbay _immediately_. Sergeant Epps just called in. The men were involved in an accident this morning on the way back from Nellis."

"Oh, my god."

"They're on their way. They'll be here in twenty minutes."

"I'm coming." She clapped her phone shut and reattached it at her hip. The burning in her chest was immediately forgotten, replaced by a wave of anxiety, as she bolted out her door and sprinted toward the medbay.

* * *

"Get him stabilized and prep him for repairs- Aaagh!" A large dark green hand clamped onto the edge of a nearby medical berth.

"Sir, are you alright?!" A worried voice called over as hurried footsteps made their way across the small medical facility.

The mech leaned heavily against the berth and raised a hand to massage his chest plates. He wore a deep frown, both surprised and confused by the sudden strange sensation that had struck him. It felt as if his very spark had been jolted by an incredibly odd type of pain he had never felt before. However, as soon as it had hit him, it disappeared, leaving him speechless and stunned. He jumped as a hand was placed firmly on his shoulder.

"Sir, why don't you go and lie down. The techs can take care of this one. His injuries are minor." He looked down into the worried optics of his assistant as the younger mech began to lead him away to a berth near the far wall of the room.

"Thank you," he grunted as he allowed himself to be pulled along. He gratefully sank his recharge-deprived body down onto the berth and allowed the mech to run a diagnostic scan on him. Several moments passed as the scanners beeped softly. The green mech's optics were glued on the display screen, as were those of the assistant.

The younger mech frowned. "The scan is returning nothing, Sir."

"I probably just need some recharge. Can you guys handle the medbay for a few breems?"

"Yes, Sir." The younger mech still looked worried.

"Good. I'll be in my quarters." He heaved himself to his feet once more, patting his assistant's shoulder and giving him a reassuring grin. "I'll be fine. Call me if you need me."

"Yes, Sir." The assistant watched the retreating form of the senior medic as he exited the medbay before shaking his head and turning his attention back to the patient being attended to by the technicians.

The dark green mech trudged out the doors and turned down the short corridor that led to his quarters. His frown returned as he punched in his access code and entered his room. He had never felt anything like that strange sensation before. It had been fleeting, but strong. An odd mixture of fear, pain, and familiarity. He eased himself down onto his berth and shuttered his optics. His tired CPU could not process the incident clearly. It had probably been just another pang of the guilty emotions that were often stirred up by old memories. He had been haunted by them for so long that it didn't surprise him if they were now going to manifest themselves in a new way. No need to dwell on it now. Not with other pressing matters on his mind. He let out a deep sigh as his CPU began to run a short recharge program.

* * *

_There it is. I sincerely hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Many thanks to the people who have left reviews so far. You guys are transfantastic! Cookies for all!_


	6. Repercussions

_**A/N:** Wow. I'm so sorry this took so long. I am a grad student slave, and with the semester starting back up, I haven't had a lot of time to work on this. My thesis has to come first. ^.^;; Hopefully I haven't lost too many people. _

_Special thanks to Elric24 for beta-ing this chapter and catching some glaring mistakes. She's the best! 3_

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Transformers. Only my OC's belong to me.

**Chapter 6 - Repercussions  
**

Ratchet had begun sterilizing and prepping the human portion of the medbay the moment he had received Sergeant Epps' transmission. The medic turned abruptly when he heard Crystal rush out of her quarters, through her office, and into the medbay. His internal scanners were locked onto the young woman the astrosecond she entered the room. He started and his optic ridges furrowed in worry at what the scans revealed. The skin on her chest where the energy flare had hit her was severely burned, bruised, and inflamed. He adjusted his scanners to penetrate beneath the dermis and found that the subdermal tissue also showed signs of trauma.

"Crystal…" He took a step toward her, but halted his approach when she held up a finger. She had put her earpiece in and was now dialing the number that would connect her to the human soldiers. She reattached her phone at her hip before turning and walking over to the cabinets on the far side of the room. As much as Ratchet wanted to ignore her protests, scoop her up and take her into his office to examine her, he wouldn't. He respected her as a fellow doctor and was not about to distract her from preparing to take care of the soldiers entrusted to her. If someone tried to take him away from a patient he'd knock them on their aft. The worried medic kept his scanners locked onto her, continuing to analyze the wound on her chest and monitor her bodily systems. He'd keep a close optic on her, and as soon as she was through with the injured soldiers he'd take her in and examine her more closely.

* * *

"What happened, Sergeant? I thought this was just a supply run!" All traces of formality and protocol disappeared as the worried doctor's voice came over the soldiers' newly improved communication system.

"It's alright, Doc. Don't worry. One of the frag grenades went off on the way here. Carter took some shrapnel to the shoulder and Lennox…" Robert Epps laughed. "Lennox got bit in the ass. But everyone's conscious and stable."

"What?! A _frag grenade_?! How the _hell_ did that happen?" The sergeant could tell that Crystal was beyond upset.

"Uh, we might have stopped along the way to test out some of our new… _supplies_." The line fell silent as the doctor fumed on the other end. Epps cringed. He knew they were in for it the moment they got back to the Ark.

"Sergeant, do you want to tell me how a fragmentation grenade detonated by accident and only injured _two_ _people_?"

"Listen, Doc. Secretary Keller gave us-"

"Nevermind! Tell me when you get here. What about Carter and Lennox?"

"I told ya they're stable. We got the bleedin' stopped and the wounds bandaged up. It doesn't look like the shrapnel penetrated too deep. They're in a whole lotta pain, but they 'aint in any danger. We'll be there in less than twenty minutes."

She took a long measured breath to clear the anger from her voice. "Thank you, Sergeant."

Crystal sighed in relief and rubbed at the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger as she closed the line with Epps. When Ratchet had told her the men had been involved in an accident her heart had leapt into her throat. The first thing that had come to her mind was a Decepticon attack. The Autobot CMO had only just begun working with her to develop procedures for dealing with injuries caused by alien weaponry. This combined with the fact that Keller had yet to send her the medical staff she'd requested meant that she would not have been fully prepared to deal with multiple severe injuries.

She gasped softly when a sudden wave of pain, stronger than the constant throb that currently resided there, swept across her chest. She steadied herself on the cabinet behind her and let the pain pass before taking a deep breath and briskly crossing the medbay over to where Ratchet stood.

The medic, who was busy programming the newly installed sterilization unit to perform a thorough sweep on the human O.R., had chuckled softly to himself when he heard Crystal yelling at the sergeant over the communication line. He was no stranger to that type of a conversation. He turned his attention away from the sterilizer and looked down when his scanners detected the young woman approaching him.

"Only two of them were hit. Sounds like only minor injuries. I'll still need your help though." Crystal stood hipshot at his feet, one hand resting on her hip, and the fingers of the other tapping restlessly on her thigh.

"I could have told you that if you had given me the chance."

She frowned up at him. "You could have told me when you called me."

The worried medic didn't answer her right away. He had returned his attention to monitoring his scans on her body. He frowned and knelt down before her, pointing at her chest where tendrils of purplish red were just visible above the collar of her shirt. "And you could have told me about that." He rested his forearm on his knee and met her gaze with steady optics. "I thought I told you to call me if you felt like something was wrong. Don't you think this qualifies?" Had it not been for the concern evident in the medic's sapphire blue optics, the sternness in his voice would have irritated her.

"I didn't know about it until this morning. Just a few minutes before you called me."

"I want to take a look at it." Without waiting for her permission he reached over to her collar and gently pulled open the top part of her blouse. His optic ridges furrowed even more deeply in worry as he surveyed the skin on her chest.

Crystal suddenly felt her knees grow weak, and she quickly reached up to grab onto the top of his hand for support. The CMO's concerned optics flicked up to meet her gaze.

"What's wrong? Did I hurt you?"

"N-no." She cleared her throat and mentally scolded herself for her reaction to the medic's touch.

Steady blue optics remained fixed on her gaze for a few moments more before returning to the examination of her wound.

Crystal kept her arm curled around his hand, afraid to let go for fear of her legs giving out. She felt her heart beating faster than normal and cringed, knowing that his keen senses would immediately pick up on it. She took a few slow, deep breaths in a feeble attempt to calm herself, but her body refused to respond. He was so close to her…his optics fixed on her injury…his face etched with a mixture of concern and concentration. His internal systems hummed gently, and that strangely familiar soft thrumming sound from within his massive chest seemed to charge the very air between them. She squeezed her eyes shut, forcing herself to come to her senses. "N- Not now, Ratchet. I have to take care of my guys."

He reluctantly took his optics off her wound and placed his heavy hand softly across her shoulders. "I know. As soon as we're through treating their injuries I want to examine you more closely."

She nodded and weakly patted his large hand with her own.

* * *

The spacious area that was the human operating room was unoccupied save for one wounded soldier and one quiet doctor. The silence that surrounded them was occasionally broken by a soft 'clink' as Crystal methodically picked out the jagged pieces of shrapnel left behind by an 'accidentally detonated' fragmentation grenade and dropped them into a stainless steel surgical pan.

Captain William Lennox heaved a sigh and drummed his fingers on the hard surface of the operating table he was currently lying on.

"Way to put your best side forward, Will." Crystal sighed and shook her head before extracting another fragment from the captain's backside. Thankfully neither he nor Sergeant Carter had been seriously injured. The shrapnel had not penetrated very deep into either man and after making quick work of Carter's shoulder she had moved on to Lennox's derriere.

Lennox looked over his shoulder back at the doctor, an amused grin spreading across his face. "Is that your way of sayin' you think my ass is fine, Doc?"

She scoffed. "Don't flatter yourself, Will. I've seen more naked male bodies than a regular at Chippendales."

_Clink._

The Army Ranger laughed out loud and turned his head to face forward again, resting his chin on his forearms. "You know, Crys…" He chuckled. "…you're the only woman in the world who knows my body better than my wife."

She snorted, the sarcastic smirk she sent his way hidden behind her surgical mask. "Yea, well if you keep ending up on my operating table people are gonna start to talk." He laughed again causing his entire body to shake on the table. "Hold still!"

"Sorry."

_Clink._

Will smiled and let out a soft sigh as his thoughts turned to his family. His own mention of his wife had reminded him of just how much he missed her and their baby girl. He wondered when he'd get a chance to get home and hold his daughter again. His wife might find his most recent battle scar amusing to say the least. He wouldn't be telling her how it had happened though…

He turned his head again to look at the doctor, still smiling. Though most of her face was obscured by her surgical mask, her eyes displayed pure concentration as her steady hands worked to extract all of the foreign objects from his exposed buttocks.

"Hey, how come you're not married, Doc?"

_Clink._

"Huh?" She turned her head to look at him and cocked an eyebrow, a bit taken aback by his abrupt question.

"How come you're not married? Never found the right guy?"

Crystal paused in a rare moment of speechlessness; forceps poised over Will's wound. "Well…I..." She stuttered for a moment before frowning and returning her attention to the shrapnel. "I _am_ married, Will." She lifted her eyes again briefly to meet his gaze before glancing back down at her work, ignoring the look of surprised confusion he gave her.

The captain frowned as he continued to study what was visible of her face. "What?"

"I'm married to the military."_ Clink._ "I'm married to my profession."_ Clink._ "I'm married to my patients."_ Clink. _"Where is there room in my life for a husband?"

"Oh, come on, Doc. Don't give me that." The captain propped his head up on one hand and sent her a mischievous grin. "Doctors get married all the time! You'd love it. You could find some handsome fella' somewhere...settle down…pop out a couple of kids…and then ditch him on the weekends to spend a few steamy nights with one of your male nurses." He smirked as he began to chuckle at his own witty remark.

Crystal laughed softly as well and rolled her eyes at the man. "Yea, well, I already have enough men in my life. You guys drive me up the wall as it is. I don't think I could handle any more testosterone."

"Okay, a female nurse then. That'd be hot." He grinned as she rewarded him with a warning glare.

_Clink._

She knew he wouldn't understand. Few people did. Truth be told, she would have loved to have a man in her life. Someone to confide in. Someone to comfort her in the middle of the night when the mental and emotional scars opened up and the faces of the soldiers she'd lost on the operating table refused to be ignored. But she was in too deep now. Too committed. The level of responsibility that her duties required were not taken lightly by the doctor. Especially now…being the CMO of band of Special Ops troops training with a race of giant alien mechanoids...

Her hand froze over Will's wound and she briefly squeezed her eyes shut, chasing away the panic that threatened to creep in whenever she actually sat and thought about her current situation. She had learned long ago how to quickly grab a hold of those kinds of emotions and shut them away under lock and key within the depths of her subconscious. She had built herself a nice little wall in there, strong enough to hold back the stress, fear, pain, and anxiety of being a combat surgeon. She hoped it was strong enough to keep the terror and disbelief of the existence of massive robotic beings at bay as well.

"Doc…you okay?" The distant sound of Will's voice startled her back into the present. She blinked her eyes a few times and shook her head slightly to clear away her thoughts. "Hey, I'm sorry about what I said…if it upset ya."

She met the captain's worried gaze. "No, it's alright, Will. I was...thinking about something else. Sorry…"

_Clink._

* * *

Ratchet was waiting for Crystal outside the human OR. He wasn't exactly waiting patiently. He had kept a weary optic on her the entire time she was treating the wounded men, growing more and more concerned as her internal temperature rose and the skin on her chest became more inflamed with each passing moment. He watched silently as the doctor finished with Captain Lennox and got him situated into a bed in the post-op ward. The only time he left his silent vigil was when Bumblebee had brought Sam and Mikaela in so that the CMO could run the same scans on them as he had on Crystal. The scans had returned nothing, but he'd logged them for further analysis anyway just in case. Both teens had come in close contact with the whole Allspark, and that worried him given what the fragment alone had done to Crystal.

The young woman sighed when she caught sight of the medic through one of the large observation windows that had been built between the human and Autobot sections of the medbay. He had been appearing in that spot on and off for the past few hours. She knew exactly what he wanted and she hurried a little, eager to see if he could do something, anything, about the blinding pain that seared her chest. It had been getting harder and harder for her to concentrate and she was grateful that only two of the men had been mildly injured. She frowned and made a mental note to severely chew out whoever had the bright idea to 'test out' the 'supplies' on their way back from Nellis.

She passed through the newly built sterilization chamber and strode over to the Autobot CMO. He opened his mouth to speak to her but was cut short by the sound of the medbay doors sliding open. The two doctors glanced over to see the massive frame of Optimus Prime crossing the threshold. Secretary John Keller and General Clifton Schaefer entered briskly behind him.

"Good afternoon, Crystal. Ratchet." The Autobot commander acknowledged the medical officers with a slight nod and kind optics. "I have just given Secretary Keller and General Schaefer a brief tour of the Ark. I decided to end the tour here so you could show them the medbay and anything else you deem important." He exchanged a meaningful glance with his CMO who nodded back at him.

Crystal, who had missed the exchange between the two autonomous mechs standing over her, smirked at the general. "You didn't say anything about coming today."

He smiled kindly at her. "I told you I'd be stopping by to check on you." He stepped forward and embraced her firmly, but pulled back quickly when Crystal let out a sharp gasp. "What? What's wrong?" As soon as he let her go she stumbled backwards and fell against the wall, breathing heavily. "Crystal?"

The panicked general took a step towards her but was intercepted by the Autobot medic, who immediately knelt down and placed a hand softly across the young woman's shoulders. Ratchet frowned at the results his scanners were returning to him. He placed a finger under Crystal's chin and tilted her head up. With gentle fingers he removed her other hand from its spot on her collar bone.

"Alright. It's okay…just let me take a look…" He pulled apart the material on her blouse and frowned at what he saw. It didn't look any better than it had earlier that morning. In fact, it looked even worse.

Crystal squeezed her eyes shut, fighting back the tears evoked by the searing pain that had struck her. Her body trembled as she struggled to slow her breathing.

Optimus frowned down at her in worry, and the two men standing next to the massive medic and the stricken doctor shot each other looks of horror as the wound on her chest was exposed.

"What's…what's wrong with her?" Schaefer didn't bother to try and mask the fear evident in his voice. It was bad enough that he had to leave her with a race of aliens, but now she was suffering from some type of injury? His mind raced. She hadn't looked injured after the battle at Mission City…

Ratchet shook his head slightly. "We're not exactly sure yet." He glanced back down at the two men; briefly taking his optics away from Crystal's wound. "There are a few things I think you gentlemen should know."

* * *

Secretary Keller was frowning, his eyes locked on the floor, as he shifted uncomfortably on his feet. General Schaefer was leaning heavily against the wall next to him, staring a hole through the Autobot CMO's back, which was blocking his view of Crystal.

The young woman sat on the edge of a mech sized berth on the other side of the large room that was Ratchet's office. The red and white medic was currently examining and treating her wound while relaying to the two men what had happened the night before. Also present were Optimus, Perceptor and Wheeljack. The Autobot leader simply stood off to the side, in front of the door, gazing over the shoulders of the scientist and engineer, who were busy examining scans of both Crystal's body and the Allspark fragment on the small Teletraan One screen above Ratchet's desk.

"As of right now we're not sure why the Allspark flared up at her like that. We don't even completely know what effects it's had on her body. This wound didn't show up until this morning." Ratchet finished his explanation and turned his head to look briefly at the two men. "General Schaefer, are you alright?"

Schaefer's face was ashen. He met the CMO's concerned gaze with barely focused eyes. "Yea…I, uh…" He swallowed hard. "…Just worried, that's all."

Ratchet frowned and studied the man for a moment. "Why don't you sit down, General. Wheeljack, can you get the general some water, please?"

The engineer reluctantly tore his optics away from the screen. "Sure thing." He slid past Perceptor and Optimus and headed out into the medbay.

Crystal frowned when she heard Ratchet address the general. She tried to peer around him to look for herself but Ratchet continued to block her view, which was probably for the best considering she was undressed from the waist up.

"He's alright." He spoke softly to her as his gentle fingers wound a dressing around her upper torso. After he'd scanned her thoroughly, he had given her a mild pain killer and had her apply a cooling antibiotic salve to the injury. The dressing would help to keep her safe from infection. He silently thanked Primus that he had had the time to study everything he could about human anatomy and medicine before arriving to the organic based world. He finished applying the dressing before reaching over and picking up Crystal's blouse, holding it open for her to slide her arms inside.

She carefully slipped her arms into the sleeves and slowly buttoned it up over her chest. "Thank you."

She couldn't look at him. She had no idea why she would be embarrassed about exposing her chest to him. She had been examined by male doctors numerous times, and since she was also a physician, had no qualms about it, so long as they were professional. And this was an alien! He wasn't even a male of her species. He definitely had no interest in human mammary glands. Nevertheless, she had felt her face heat up as soon as he had asked her to remove the clothes on her upper body.

Only when she was completely dressed did the medic step to the side and allow her to look at the general. Wheeljack had since come back with the water and now Schaefer was sitting down, sipping at the cool liquid. She sent Ratchet a glance and he nodded, holding out his hand to her. She carefully stepped into his awaiting palm and grasped onto his index finger as he transferred her to his workbench next to the general. The doctor knelt down next to the man and placed a hand on his forehead. "Cliff, are you ok?"

He lifted his head and nodded. "Yea. Yea, I'm fine." Trembling hands set his cup down next to him. "What about you?"

She faked a reassuring smile. "I'll be fine. Ratchet's taking good care of me."

An odd expression crossed the general's features as he looked up at the medic standing over them. Emerald green human eyes locked onto sapphire blue optics, and the medic tilted his head a little in curiosity.

Schaefer suddenly shot a glance at Keller, who returned his unreadable expression, and Crystal frowned as she studied the silent exchange between the two men.

Optimus, concerned with the humans' apparent alarm at the condition of the doctor, spoke from his place near the scientists. "I assure you we are doing everything in our power to make sure Crystal and every other human on this base is safe."

Keller broke eye contact with the general to meet his gaze and nodded. "Very good. I presume you'll keep us informed of Doctor Greene's condition? And that that fragment will stay locked away?"

Optimus bowed his head, "Of course, Mister Secretary. We do not wish for anyone else to be injured."

Schaefer turned his head slowly to look at Optimus, staring at the Autobot commander for a few moments, before moving his gaze methodically over both Perceptor and Wheeljack. He gaped at the group of large mechs as if seeing them for the first time…

Crystal placed a gentle hand on the side of Schaefer's face and directed his attention back toward her. "Cliff, are you okay? Talk to me."

Schaefer cleared his throat and swallowed hard before forcing a grin to his lips. "I'm alright, honey. Just…you know, still tryin' to get used to all this." He let out a nervous chuckle.

Crystal smiled softly at him. "I know. Me too." She glanced around at the four beings towering over them before looking back at the general and the Secretary of Defense. "Hey, are you guys hungry? How about I show you around the medbay and then we can go and grab something to eat?" She stood and offered a hand to the shaken general, who took it gratefully and allowed the doctor to pull him to his feet.

Keller nodded. "That sounds like a fine idea to me, Captain. "

The three humans looked expectantly up at the red and white CMO. The corner of Ratchet's mouth twisted up into something of slightly amused grin as he held out his hands, allowing the humans to step onto them so he could set them gently down on the floor. He caught Crystal's shoulder before she could follow the men out of his office and into the main area of the medbay. "Crystal, how does it feel now?"

The doctor turned and looked up into the mech's concerned optics. "It still stings. But it feels a lot better than it did. Thank you."

Ratchet continued to frown as he seemed to stare right through her, his powerful scanning software methodically searching the tissue in and around the strange wound on her chest yet again. "Please call me if you feel the slightest change."

A slight smile graced her lips as she felt her cheeks heat up at his concern. "I will. Don't worry, Ratch."

Ratchet stood and watched the young woman exit his office before frowning and turning his attention to the other three mechs in the room.

* * *

"A rec room?" Secretary Keller, was incredulous. "Giant alien robots…need a rec room?" He stood next to Crystal and General Schaefer in the doorway of the spacious area that was, indeed, the Autobot recreation room.

Crystal chuckled and led the way into the large room, which was currently devoid of giant autonomous mechs, and crossed to the far corner where the 'bots had graciously installed a small area suitable for human use. There was a living area complete with chairs and couches and a large television, as well as a full kitchen and mess area. The Autobots had been fascinated by the amount of 'equipment' humans needed in order to prepare their various sources of nutrition and she had been stuck explaining to Perceptor and Wheeljack exactly how each appliance worked and what its function was.

The doctor showed the two men to a table before walking over to the refrigerator. "I hope you don't mind leftovers," she called back to them as she pulled out the remnants of yesterday's dinner. "If I'd known you two were coming I could have thawed something out." When she received no response, a glance in their direction revealed the two of them ignoring her, clearly engrossed in a conversation. After a few moments, Keller glanced up. "Doctor, I was sorry to see that two of the men were injured this morning. I think they were all a bit excited about their new firing range. "

Crystal placed the leftovers in the microwave to warm them up before turning her attention back to the Secretary of Defense. "They're lucky no one was seriously injured. I have yet to see any of the medical staff I requested, Mister Keller. If any of them had been seriously hurt, I may not have been able to treat them properly." She placed one hand on her hip and the other on the counter, still a bit peeved about the whole incident.

Keller heaved a sigh and rubbed at the bridge of his nose. "Doctor Greene, assigning you your medical staff is not as simple as having them pack their bags and head out here. They have to be carefully selected, screened, and briefed on _exactly _what to expect."

"I gave you a list of the people I trust, Sir." She leveled her gaze at him

"I know that, Doctor, but they still need to be prepared for this."

"Nothing is going to prepare them for what they see here, Sir." She let her arms fall to her sides and slowly walked over to the table. "The best thing to do is just bring them out here and let me introduce them to our…friends."

Keller nodded. "I understand. I _will_ send them soon, Doctor. " He paused briefly before adding, "But I don't want them living here."

"Sir?"

"A few of them may have to, and I understand that. But besides you, a few members of the medical staff, and Lennox's team, any military personnel involved with this special operations branch will be assigned to Nellis Airforce base. The less people we have interacting with the aliens on a daily basis, the better. "At the apprehensive look on the doctor's face he added, " They will be ready to deploy at a moment's notice, of course. And they will train here regularly."

Crystal began to cross her arms over her chest, but winced and stopped herself as she touched her wound. She opted to place her hands on her hips instead. "I'll need the full medical staff here for at least two weeks to start off, Sir. They need to be fully trained on the new equipment. I don't want to get caught off guard again."

"I'll see what I can do, Doctor." The man leveled his piercing blue gaze at her. The microwave beeped and Crystal sighed as she turned and walked back toward the appliance to dish up the leftovers for the two shaken officials.

He had better see what he could do. That morning's 'accident' had been too close a call for the doctor. If anything happened to any of those men because she was shorthanded, there would be hell to pay. She reached up and tapped her earpiece before she began to spoon the food out onto each of three plates she'd retrieved from the cupboard.

"Is everything alright, Crystal? How are you feeling?" Ratchet's gruff voice came over her comm line, laced with worry.

"I'm alright, Ratchet. I just wanted to find out how my patients are doing."

"I just checked on them. All their vitals are stable and they're resting comfortably."

"Thank you, Ratchet. I appreciate it." She closed the line with him and a slight smile graced her lips. Maybe she wasn't as understaffed as she'd thought.

* * *

_Thanks so much for reading chapter six! Hopefully you'll take the time to write a review. No flames please. _

_Stay tuned for chapter seven. :-)_

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